Advice and Trust
by Panther2G
Summary: After a typically wonderful meal, Misato attempts to give Shinji some advice on how to win Asuka's attentions and how to deal with women in general. Her advice is powered by Yebisu, but is well meant and sincere. Shinji may not even need her help. Asuka makes her own choices, after all...
1. Prologue - Where We Are Now

A full moon shone down on Lake Ashi, making Tokyo-3 glow in the warm autumn night. In the smallest bedroom of an apartment in a mostly empty building, an old SDAT tape player sat on the desk in a beam of moonlight, gathering dust in the silence. In the living room, dinner was over and the table cleared, but the room was still lively, largely by effort of one woman.

"You're such a good kid, Shinji-kun! You bring me beer and make dinner so good." Major Katsu- no, it was after 9PM and seven beers, so it was definitely _Misato_, not Major Katsuragi now, burbled happily at her young roommate. She patted her full belly and sighed. She drained the last of her eighth beer and looked at it suspiciously. "Hmm, out again. Get me another one, please?" She shook the empty can at him for a second before arcing it over her shoulder into the recycling bin without even a look.

Shinji sighed. At least he'd managed to train her that much. When he'd first moved in, he'd spent hours cleaning and collecting the cans that had been haphazardly piled and dumped all over the apartment, including some in places that just made him shake his head in confusion. In the shower, on top of the TV, all over the balcony... in the linen closet? He turned from washing the dishes and retrieved a can of Yebisu from the well-stocked refrigerator. "Here you are, Misato-san."

She grabbed his wrist and used the opportunity to pull him into a sloppy hug, her face buried briefly into his side as she sat at the table. "Such a good boy. Always taking care of us, me and Asuka. Say, where is she? I haven't seen her since I came in."

"She ate before you got here, and went to take a shower. She's still in her room." He looked towards their missing roommate's room for a moment.

Misato's eyes twinkled with mischief, seeing something in his expression. "Oh? Thinking about her in her towel, Shin-chan?"

Shinji reddened. "I wasn't!" He wriggled out of her grasp.

"You were! You totally were! Ha ha ha! Shin-chan's in looo~ve!" Misato giggled.

Muttering something at the floor and hiding his blushing face, Shinji finished up the last of the dishes in the sink. When he turned back from drying his hands, he found Misato staring at him more intently. "W-what is it?"

"You _are_ a good boy, Shinji. And I think you _do_ care about her. So I'm going to help!" Misato smacked her fist into her other palm. She pointed at the other side of the table. "Have a seat! I'm going to give you some helpful relationship adice... avdice... _advice_, on how to deal with women. And I'll tell you some secrets!" She took a deep pull on her beer as he sat down. "Okay! So!" She hiccupped. "Rule number one! 'Women are crazy'!"

Shinji blinked at her. "'Women are crazy'?" he echoed in confusion.

"Yesh! Totally crazy. Nuts. Bonkers. And I know, 'cause I ams one!" Misato nodded sagely. "Rule number two! Asuka is a woman."

"...And therefore she's crazy?"

"Bin~go! You jusht have to keep that in mind and ride it. Like, you think she's just yelling at you alln the time because she'z angry? Nope! She want to you pay attention to her! That's how she says it. Oh yeah, that's rule numnar three! Women aren't going to say everything they say, but you're supposed ta hear it all anyways. And not hear some of the things they do say, becauze they don't really mean them."

"I... what? Does... does that include what you're saying now?" Shinji's confusion only deepened.

"Of course not! Theses are the secrets I'm telling you, not me talking as a woman rights now. 'Sides, it's sweet that you look at me, but you need a girl your age, like her." Shinji blushed again. "Hee hee! I know you do!" She took another sip of beer. "I'm shurpised at you sometimes, Shiin-chan. Me and Ashuka running around in towels and short-shortz, and you still acting all shy. If Kaji spent all his time running around here in nuthin' but a towel, I'd... I'd... mmm... salty..." Misato trailed off, staring happily into space.

The silence stretched on for a while. "Um... Misato-san?"

Misato shook her head. "Er, right! Women! You gotta pay attention to all the things. You are already pretty housebroken, which girls really like once they think about it and settle down. I know I do!" She grinned at him and took another drink. "Rule numner four! Don't never be afraid." She leaned forward, planting her hands on the table, and stared at him carefully. "Tha's an importnant one, Shin-chan. Really listen to tha' one."

Shinji tried, he really tried not to stare at the perfect shot down her cleavage that Misato's position and loose tank top offered him. He lost the struggle. After a long pause, Misato started giggling and snorting at how red his face was turning and sat back. "Cat got yer tongue, Shin-chan? Hee hee! But did you hear me? Tha's a big one."

Shinji gulped and shook his head to clear it. "Bouncy, bouncy..." he mumbled. "Er! Yes! 'Don't be afraid', you said! Or something like that."

Misato nodded, somewhat wobbly. "Tha's right. Bein' 'fraid can stop you cold, and make you mess up a good chance. I was afraid, and ran away from Kaji once. Took eight yearz before I got another chance, eight years of being lonely and missing him, and ifn I'd still been 'fraid, I coulda messed it up again. So don' do tha'!" She polished off the beer. "You and Azuka are young, but I can shee the way you look at her sometimez. And..." She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leaned in closer. "I've sheen the wayz she looks at you sometimes, when she thinkz no one's lookin'. She even smiled once, after I told her your liddle jump into tha' volcano was agains' orders!"

Shinji stared hard at the table and tried not to turn red again. Again, he lost. He mumbled something too quiet for Misato to hear.

Misato smiled at him, patting him on the head before flopping back into her chair. Her head sank into her arms on the table. "So don' be afraid, Shin-chan. Azuka makesh a lot of noise, but she'z a good kid too. You two are a lot alike, you knowz? You don' have nobody, but try so hard to be Pilots... She pushes herself so hard to be the besht, because she doesn' wan' anyone to think she'z useless or weak..." Misato pulled her head up to give him a beady stare. "You be real good to 'er, you hear me? Women are crazy, but we need hugsh and stuff, too. Do nice things. I know!" Misato sat up straight again. "You should make 'er dinner!"

"I make us all dinner every night, Misato-san."

She waved this inconvenient fact away. "I mean make 'er a _special_ dinner! All Yuro... Euroo... _German_ foodz and stuff! Let 'er know it's for 'er! Tha's the kind of thing tha' gets a girl'z attenshun! I'll get Kaji to take me out for the night and give you two time alone!" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him before slumping back down, her head pillowed in her arms again. "Mmm... make him take me someplace nice 'n private. 'N stay the night."

"I don't know if a dinner is what will get Asuka to stop calling me 'baka-Shinji' all the time."

"I tol' you, don't just lissen to wha' she sayz. Lissen to the thingz she dossen say and stuff..." Misato mumbled into her arms. "'Cuz wimmin 're crazy. Ashuka, me, Rits... erryone... She sayz 'baka-Shinji', I sez 'Shin-chan'... iz all the same. Iz how we say we care... 'cuz we get scared to say it out lou'... Kaji..."

Shinji stood up and walked around to her side of the table, helping her rise. "I know, Misato-san. I know. Let's get you to bed."

She leaned heavily on the young Pilot as they slowly wobbled her towards her bedroom. "Okay... but r'member: crazy."

Shinji rose from tucking Misato into her futon and walked to the door. He stopped and turned in the doorway to look back at his passed-out guardian. She snored peacefully, occasionally mumbling Kaji's name. He shook his head. Who was looking after whom here? "'Women are crazy', huh?" he muttered.

His face froze and his body stiffened in shock as a pair of pale, slender arms snaked around him from behind to embrace him. A warm and very definitely female body pressed itself up against his back and a soft pair of lips nibbled teasingly at the back of his neck. "Mmm, yes, we are. How else would we put up with men?"

Despite himself, he couldn't entirely suppress a groan of happiness, closing his eyes and tilting his head to give her better access. "Nnn... Asuka... the door is still open... she could see us..." His hands still rose to cover hers and squeeze back.

"She is completely dead to the world and you know it, Third Child. Has she noticed a thing about how the two of us have been carrying on for the last two months? We could probably pull off half the Kama Sutra right here and she'd sleep right through it." Her arms loosened enough to let him turn around in her embrace and stare right into her sparkling blue eyes. "Now, are you coming to bed? It's cold and lonely without you, and you promised me I'd never sleep that way again."

Shinji didn't even try to conceal the warm smile that spread across his face. "Asuka, has there been a single night since the first time you kissed me where I have slept anywhere else but right next to you? Of course I'm coming." He closed the door to Misato's room as quietly as he could and let his fingers intertwine with hers as they walked across the living room towards her bedroom. Her hand was tiny and warm in his.

"Well, yes, there's the occasional rare night where our esteemed guardian is _not_ knocked out cold from beer or overwork," Asuka retorted, but without any heat. "I don't like those nights. It's much better when she's tired, full of beer, or Kaji keeps her out late."

"I still manage to sneak over into your room after she falls asleep those times... if you don't sneak into mine first," he pointed out.

Asuka smiled. "I get impatient, you know that. I want my warm baka-Shinji. It's a good think you always get up before anyone else, too. We don't want to get caught, do we?"

Shinji's smile faded a little as they reached her... no, _their_ room. He hadn't slept more than a handful of nights in 'his' bed since the night Asuka had asked him if he wanted to kiss. A night that had spiraled out of all expectations for either of them and become the beginning of a dream more wonderful than anything else he'd ever experienced in his whole life, all because he'd put his arms around her and answered her kiss. "I still feel a little bad hiding us from everyone, Asuka. We can't even go out on a weekend on a normal date or anything, and I'd really like to do that."

She slid the door open and pulled him inside after her. "I know. But if Misato found out, she'd make us stop doing this. 'We're too young!' or some other excuse, like we're not soldiers who could die any day." She pulled her t-shirt, all she wore, over her head and threw it to the side. "And I refuse to even think about that. You know I haven't had a single nightmare I can remember since we started sleeping together? I used to have them almost every night. I could love you for that alone, if nothing else, Shinji. Not that the rest isn't nice, too." She sat on the bed and scooted over to leave him room. "Besides, no one would believe you and me together." She snorted. "Us? In love? Truly, madly, deeply? Never."

"Hikari might, if you told her. And I'm pretty sure Ayanami figured it out in the first few days, given how much she stares at us." He sat down next to her and neatly folded his shirt up after likewise removing it.

"And she hasn't said anything?"

Shinji shrugged. "It's Ayanami. She's not exactly a chatterbox or the school gossip. Who's she going to tell?"

"Mm... still, you should do something nice for her as a thank you, from both of us. If I did it, that'd be even more suspicious."

"You could _try_ doing it yourself. People change. They might accept that." He took her hand with a smile and kissed her fingertips.

She stroked the side of his face after he released her hand. "It's hard enough pretending to everyone that I'm still constantly angry at you and we're still at each other's throats all day long. I prefer to be at your throat this way." She leaned in to nibble and suck gently at his neck. "You're so much more amusingly sensitive there."

He hissed in pleasure. "Eee... gentle! Misato's going to notice I'm using a lot of her concealer one of these days!"

Asuka's lips curled in a smirk. "Good thing she can't see your back, then. Those would be even harder to explain."

"No apology for tearing up my poor back?" He smiled anyway.

Asuka snorted. "Not one bit. I'm marking my territory. You're mine, Third Child. You promised me that the first night." Her arms wrapped around him tightly as they lay down. "'Together, forever and always'."

Shinji pulled the sheet over them, nodding. "Until the end of the world, you and me, against Angels and anything else that tries to hurt us." She pressed herself into his side, purring contentedly. He pressed his face into her hair and inhaled the strawberry-balsam scent of her shampoo. "Love you, Asuka."

"You better, Third. You're stuck with me for good," she murmured happily, squeezing him. "...and I love you, too, baka-Shinji."

In the room across the hall, an old SDAT tape player sat on the desk in a beam of moonlight, gathering dust. It hadn't been touched in two months; retreat and escape from the world were no longer needed.


	2. Ch 1 Snowflakes, Snowballs, & Avalanches

"Hey, Shinji, do you want to kiss?" Asuka tapped her fingers on the table, staring at him from where here head lay in her arms.

He couldn't believe the garbled words were what he'd thought he'd heard, and pulled the SDAT earbuds out. "What?"

"To kiss. A kiss? You've never kissed, right? Then let's do it."

This had to be a trick. Asuka suddenly being nice... more than nice to him? "Why?"

"Because I'm bored."

Definitely a trick. "Because you're _bored?_ But..."

"You don't want to kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mom's death? Afraid she may be watching you from Heaven?" A sly look at him.

"Not really."

"Or are you scared?"

His anger surged. "I'm not scared of a little kiss!"

"You brushed your teeth, right?"

He nodded.

"Then, here I go."

She walked closer to him, halting close enough he could see her pulse jumping as fast as his at her throat. He felt himself blushing as he closed his eyes in anticipation. After nothing happened for a second he cracked his eyes open to find Asuka staring at him from just inches away, her expression unreadable.

"Don't breathe, because it tickles." Slim fingertips pinched his nose shut just before her lips met his.

Shinji's brain and body locked up. _'This is happening! This is really happening!'_ He was afraid to move, afraid to think, afraid to do anything that might wake him up from this dream. He'd say he was afraid to breathe, but that was already covered by her pinching fingers. The beautiful, exotic foreign girl who was literally the subject of more than a few of his fantasies was _kissing_ him. Her soft, soft lips were pressed against his, and it felt _amazing_. His head swam with the dizzying feel of her tongue hesitantly probing at his own, the strawberry-balsam scent of her hair, the warmth of her body so close to his...

...and, unfortunately, oxygen deprivation. He started to feel dizzy a bit more directly than from the sheer hormonal rush accounted for, but the kiss felt so good he didn't want it to ever end. His knees started to buckle. He had to do something! If he collapsed, that would break the kiss!

He desperately reached out for the closest means of support to stay upright: Asuka. His hands haphazardly gained a grip on her hips and lower back, tugging her towards him as he stabilized himself. With a gentle thump, their bodies bumped together.

Shinji was about to let their bodies bounce back apart when he felt her hand leave his nose and come to rest on his shoulder. Her other arm came up to curl around his, her hand pressing against his shoulder blade. Pressing rather firmly, come to think of it. Asuka was definitely not upset with them being up against each other like this. In fact, she was starting to make some very happy noises. Increasingly pleased sounding 'mmms' and such hummed out of her as her tongue's fencing with his suddenly became much more vigorous. Her arm against him tightened.

His own grip reflexively tightened likewise. _'Wait... is she... is she enjoying this as much as I am? More? This... this isn't just kissing because she's bored or wants to see what it's like anymore...'_ His initial annoyance at her goading him into the kiss was all but gone, replaced by dawning surprise. _'She's... she's liking this. She's liking kissing me. She wanted to kiss me. Me?!'_ Light went off behind his eyes. _'She... likes __**me**__?' _She certainly wasn't stopping the kiss, at least.

Their bodies hadn't really stopped from the wobble their crashing together had started. The swaying increased slowly until they were stutter-stepping backwards across the dining room towards the living room, still holding each other tightly together. Their erratic, blind path ended with Shinji's heels encountering one of the beanbags near the TV. He toppled backwards into the beanbag, their mutual grip pulling Asuka down to end up sprawled on top of him.

The impact of the landing briefly interrupted the kiss. Shinji opened his mouth to say something in surprise at the trip, but Asuka's lips met his again before he even got the first syllable out. He did not protest, his arms wrapping more fully around her back, savoring the warm, solid feel of her against him. His hands slowly stroked up and down her back. He still felt dizzy, but this wasn't a feeling he wanted to stop. He felt like someone had blown the top of his head off and it was spinning somewhere around the ceiling.

He couldn't tell how long they lay there. Eventually, the nearly frenetic pace of their kissing slowed to more languid, relaxed ones. Finally they broke off for a longer pause, breathing hard, foreheads pressed together. Shinji struggled for what to say.

"Wow. That was….um….wow."

"Yeah," she responded just as softly. Her eyes were still closed.

His brain was still spinning from the high. He couldn't come up with anything coherent to say. His mouth kept running without consulting him, however.

"You're beautiful."

That got Asuka's eyes open. Her sparkling blue stare pinned him in place. "What?"  
>"You were right, I've never kissed anyone before and I'm so glad it was you for my first kiss and it was incredible and you're so beautiful and I think I really like you and oh shit I'm going to stop talking now."<p>

Heavy silence descended. Pen-pen toddled out of his freezer, looked in at them, cocked his head, and returned to his freezer once more after acquiring a new beer. Shinji swallowed heavily.

Suddenly, Asuka spoke up. "Say it again," she demanded quietly.

He tensed. "Um….say what again?"

"What you just said. Say it again."

"I'm glad you were my first kiss, it was incredible, you're beautiful, and I…" he gulped again. "I think I like you?"

More silence.

Asuka turned her head, burying her face in the side of his neck. "Do you mean it?"

Shinji tried not to shake. He couldn't see her eyes, and her voice was …there was something intense in her tone, but he couldn't tell what. He did get the feeling that he better be very honest about what he said next, though.

"Yes."  
>A much longer silence.<p>

"I like you too."

Shinji's ears insisted that was what Asuka had whispered right in his ear, her voice almost inaudible. He froze, his arms still wrapped around her. "What?"

She turned her head back to face him again. "Do you think I'm the kind of girl who'll just kiss anybody?" she asked sharply, a bit of her usual fire seeping back into her voice.

"You just said you wanted to kiss me because you were bored!"

"I lied." Her eyes dropped away from his. "I wanted to kiss you. Because I wanted to know what it felt like."

"You did?" A distant part of Shinji's brain tried to butt in with the observation that his last few contributions to the conversation had not been that impressive. "Why?"

"I don't know! I just keep thinking about it! I'm not supposed to be attracted to boys like you! I'm supposed to want a real man like Kaji! I'm not supposed to be wondering what it would feel like to kiss you, to have your arms around me! It's not supposed to feel this good to _do _it! It's not supposed to feel so good to be lying here with you! I shouldn't want this to never end..." Her outburst ran down into confusion. "Why is it you?"

"I...I don't know?"

Asuka puffed her cheeks our in frustration. "Well...why do you like me, then?"

"Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Because you're brilliant, have the most amazing eyes, and are so damn _alive. _You... you push me, get at me like no one else. I... I can never figure out how to talk to you, but I... like seeing you smile."

Asuka colored a bit. "You... you've got nice eyes too." She blinked. "Wait, if you feel like that about me, why didn't you ever _respond _any of the other times I tried to flirt with you? I've been trying to get you to do _something _for _weeks!_"

"Wait, other times? What other times?"

"When a girl walks up to you in a bikini and starts using her chest as a _physics demo, _she's _trying to get your attention!_"

"Oh."

"'Oh'? What about during our synchronization training? We were alone all night and I even invited you into my room, but you didn't do anything!"

Shinji frowned at that one. "You didn't invite me in, you told me to stay out! 'The impenetrable wall of Jerko' you said!"

"Jericho. I... wait, you... You don't know that story? It's in the Bible! The walls of Jericho _fell, _Third! I wanted you to come in!"

Shinji tried vainly to close his gaping mouth. "What?! But... we were alone! We could... I...I didn't know! My Sensei never covered the Bible!"

Asuka just narrowed her eyes at him. "What Sensei?"

"The one my father abandoned me with after my mother died in an accident with the Eva! Not that you'd understand that," he bit out. It was not a comfortable memory. He pinched his eyes closed as the painful image of his father's retreating back welled up once again.

But when he opened them again, Asuka was staring at him like she'd seen a ghost. "Me too."

Shinji blinked. That couldn't be what she just said.

Her arms squeezed him tighter as her gaze went far away. "My mother... There was an accident with Unit-02... She... died, eventually. My father... didn't mourn very long." Her mouth twisted sourly. "So yes, _Third _Child, I know exactly what that felt like!"

Shinji sat stunned, his mind trying to grapple with her shocking revelation. Asuka... had felt the same kind of loss as he had? She'd had her mother ripped away from her, and even younger than him? She... was like him?

"Your father abandoned you after your mother was gone," he said.

She looked at him sharply again. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. Her forehead wrinkled in thought for a moment. "You have nightmares all the time about it. The memory keeps coming after you when you try to sleep," she said eventually. It was only half a question.

Shinji nodded slowly, never breaking here eyes. A memory of Asuka weeping in her sleep, whimpering for her Mama floated across his mind. "It's hard to sleep. You feel lonely and cold at night, because no one ever held you after that," he finally replied. It was even less a question. There weren't questions. They were connections. Confessions.

Asuka barely let him finish before she replied. "You never had many friends before you came here. No on ever wanted to just talk to you for you."

She knew... This was his life. And hers? "Your father never explained or apologized for why he just left you."

"No one even tried to understand your pain. No one cared." Her eyes were magnetic, her voice hypnotic.

"You miss her every day, but don't even have any pictures, barely any memories. No one tells you about her." He almost felt like it wasn't his own voice speaking anymore.

Her arms tightened around him even more, almost a desperate grip now. "And there was never any point in talking about it to anyone, because there was no one in the world who could understand what being an Evangelion Pilot was like," she said softly.

Silence hung heavy between them. Shinji vaguely noticed they were breathing in synch, faces just inches apart.

"You're just like me."

He blinked. He wasn't sure which of them had started saying it first. Their synchronization training had left a mark.

Asuka blinked as well, but recovered faster. A smile started spreading across her face that left Shinji positively dazzled. Asuka's face was lit up, transformed by the look of happiness unlike anything he'd seen on her before. Not a smirk, not a cocky, superior grin, but a real, stunning smile. "You... you _know_. You're cute, you like me, you're a fantastic kisser, and you _understand what it's like_." Her arms squeezed him in a fierce hug. "You are _mine_, Third Child!"

She dipped her head to bring their lips together again. She was far more aggressive than before, but he met her just as eagerly. There was more than just the sheer hormonal rush this time. Now there was a dawning realization, a feeling of profound connection. _She knew! He understood! I'm not alone!_

Again, time disappeared for them. Shinji had no idea how long they kept going this time before something finally registered on his mind besides the hot, electric feel of the German redhead in his arms or the growing happiness that there was someone who could truly empathize with what he'd gone through.

Beep. Hiss.

Their eyes popped open simultaneously. _That was the front door! Misato was home! Shit!_ They sprang to their feet and scrambled apart, hastily adjusting clothing and trying to hide red faces and mussed hair. Asuka dove for the TV's remote and turned it on. The NHK announcer began droning on about tomorrow's weather.

Baritone rumbles of a deeper male voice floated from the entrance way, mixing with Misato's slurred mumbles. Kaji had come home with her. They appeared in the doorway from the front all into the dining area where he and Asuka had begun their kiss. Misato's arm was slung around Kaji's shoulders and she was leaning heavily on him for support. Kaji's eyebrows went up as he spotted Shinji standing in the living room. "Yo, Shinji-kun. Give me a hand with her. She needs to get into bed."

"Ah, y-yes, Kaji-san." Shinji quickly moved to support Misato from her other side. Together they guided the stumbling Major towards her futon. Kaji gently removed her jacket and laid her down, brushing her hair out of her face, leaving her rapidly sinking into sleep comfortably arranged on her bedding.

Kaji looked at the NERV Operations Director fondly, a wistful smile on his face. He nodded to Shinji and Asuka. "Well, time for me to go. Goodnight, kids."

Asuka jerked in surprise, finally managing to look Kaji in the face. She'd spent the previous minute carefully keeping him from seeing how much she was still flushed. "You're not... going to stay the night? You could..."

Kaji smiled wryly and fluffed his wedding wear. "I'd get laughed at if I showed up to work tomorrow wearing this."

"But..." Asuka half-raised her hand and drifted after him as Kaji headed for the door. As Shinji moved to follow them and caught up to her, Asuka suddenly stopped and remained still as he and Kaji turned down the hall to the door.

Kaji smiled over his shoulder as he stepped out the door. "Please take care of Katsuragi. See you later, Shinji-kun. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." The door slid closed with another hiss-beep. Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji spotted Asuka standing at the end of the hallway near the dining area, a slightly sad look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Lavender perfume," Asuka said. "Misato's. It was all over Kaji. They really are together again. I should have known. The whole trip here from Germany Kaji-san was talking about her and distracted, even when I tried to..." Asuka went red. "N-nevermind! I... it's late. We should... get into bed too." For some reason she turned redder.

Shinji tried not to let his shoulders slump. Whatever spell had been cast before, it seemed that now it was broken. The moment was gone. "Right," he muttered, dejected. He walked back to his room and changed into a pair of loose shorts and a light shirt for sleeping in. Before he got to his bed, he stopped in the middle of his room and closed his eyes. He allowed himself to spend a full minute reveling in the memories of how it felt to hold Asuka close and kiss her. He sighed both in enjoyment of the memory and sadness over the fact that that's all it was now. He reached for the covers to get into his bed.

"What are you doing?"

He froze and turned around. Asuka was standing in the door of his room, her arms folded, staring at him.

"I'm... getting into bed? Like you said?" he said, confused. "I..." He froze again. Her ever-present A-10 interface headset was missing. Her hair was down, and she'd apparently brushed it for bed. It haloed her head like a brilliant, smooth waterfall of fire. He had the sudden, intense desire to run his hands through it. It changed her whole look. He'd never seen her like this. It was utterly stunning. She looked even _better._

"You're what? And what are you staring at now, Third?"

"Your...your hair... you're beautiful. I-I mean, I've only ever seen you without your A-10 headset after a shower. You look so different with it brushed out like that. It's amazing..."

Asuka's hands flew to her head. "I... leave it out to sleep. And I said _we_ should get into bed, Third. Come on. Mine's bigger."

Shinji blanched. "What?! Us?! I-I-I... Asuka?" He did not resist, though, when she simply took him by the hand and led him across the narrow hallway into her room.

"Baka. We were interrupted. We were still talking. And I _liked _what we were doing." She stopped at the side of the bed, her back still to him, but still held on to his hand. "Not just the kissing, but the... the rest too. Being held, I mean. I felt warm when we were doing that, and I _didn't_ feel_ alone._ 'It's hard to sleep. You feel lonely and cold at night, because no one ever held you after that', you said." She finally turned around to face him again. "You know that feeling. I do too, and I don't like it. Have you ever felt so warm or good as you did when we were just doing that?"

Her expression was as open as he'd ever seen her. Her eyes searched his face, not hostilely, just... looking to find that feeling of connection again. His heart started pounding even harder than it had when she'd said '_we_ should get into bed'.

He gulped. "No. I haven't. Not for longer than I can remember," he said.

"Don't you want to _keep_ feeling like that?"

He swallowed again. "Yes?" he answered tentatively.

Asuka just nodded. "I do too. And Misato is dead asleep, no one else is here and you're going to be the first one up anyhow. So if...we want to spend the night together to keep the cold and loneliness away, we can. No one will know but us. And I..." Asuka pinched her eyes shut and forced the words out. "I don't want to be alone... Shinji."

_'This has to be a dream. This has to be a dream.'_ "Asuka, I... I don't want to be alone either, but... I'm scared," he admitted. His hand shook in hers. _'This has to be a dream... or a trick.'_

"You're just like me," Asuka reminded him quietly, looking him right in the eyes. "You think I'm not too? But we're Eva Pilots." She managed an unsteady smile. "We can handle anything, right?"

She let go of his hand and sat down on the bed. She scooted over to give him room, then looked up at him, silently asking the question.

Shinji tried to make his body move, but he felt frozen solid. _'This has to be a dream!'_ He'd _had_ dreams like this. Misato's words from the night before echoed in his head. _'Nothing will change unless you take that first step forward...'_ He made his right hand stop nervously clenching and releasing over and over. "Asuka... promise me this isn't a trick? This isn't some kind of game? You really mean all this?"

In response, Asuka just stared at him for a moment before pulling her loose yellow t-shirt over her head and throwing it behind him, well out of reach. "There. If we're caught, no pretending. Does that show you I'm serious enough? I mean all of this, Third Chil-... Shinji. I promise. Now get in here, baka! I'm cold!" She flopped down and pulled the blankets over her, her sapphire blue eyes still locked on his.

He just gaped at the alabaster vision he'd just seen, and slowly peeled his own shirt off to drop at his feet. He lifted the side of the sheets and slid into bed next to her, leaving a careful few centimeters between any actual points of touching her. He nearly levitated a meter up off the mattress when he felt her arms wrap around him and yank him into full flush contact.

"Mmmm...warm," Asuka whispered. "You feel warm. It's nice."

He felt warm, alright. He felt so warm he was faintly surprised that steam wasn't shooting out his ears. He felt positively dizzy. A small pinch on his side from Asuka brought him back down enough to realize she was talking to him. "When someone holds you, you're supposed to hold them too, baka." Her command was somewhat undercut by the blush lighting up her cheeks and inability to meet his eyes. Hesitantly, like he was about to hold a tiger with a toothache, Shinji worked his arms around her too. Her skin felt smoother than the finest silk under his fingertips. He could have sworn he felt electricity running under his hands. _'She's so __**warm**__,' _he thought in wonder.

Asuka had stiffened herself when his arms first went around her, but abruptly melted into his embrace. After a long moment of just enjoying the feeling, she spoke up softly. "Isn't this better than cold and lonely?"

Shinji couldn't help but agree. His heart was still pounding a mile a minute, but at the same time he felt so comfortable and alive he didn't want to move. He nodded. "I like this."

"Me too." Asuka burrowed her face into his neck and lay quietly for a minute. "Shinji... promise _me_ this isn't a dream? I don't... I don't want to wake up alone and hating everything again," she asked. "I don't want this to stop."

"You're just like me," he echoed back at her. "Asuka, I'm scared this is a dream, but I've never felt this good. I'll stay as long as you'll let me."

"Tonight. What about tomorrow? And the next day? I mean it, Shinji. I don't want this to stop. I don't want to wake up cold and lonely ever again."

Shinji tried to keep his heart from hammering its way out of his chest. Asuka, the fiery dynamo of confidence and energy, was asking _him_ for... what? To stay with her? To _be_ with her? Like she thought he might even refuse? If this was a dream, Shinji was going to stay in it as long as he could. "As long as you'll have me. I promise."

To his surprise, Asuka started to laugh. "Did... did I say something wrong?"

Asuka shook her head. "This is crazy. One kiss, and we're like this? One kiss and all of a sudden you're mister smooth? You sound so serious, like you're ready to... to..."

"Jump into a volcano for you?" Shinji suggested with a tiny smile.

Asuka snorted. "You started playing the cello and have spent years getting professionally good because no one told you to stop? Are you going to hold me the same way because I don't tell you to stop?" He tone tried to be flippant, but even as bad as he was at reading most social cues Shinji could hear the serious, almost hopeful note underneath. She _meant_ that question. And he honestly didn't know how to answer her.

Well, he knew how he _wanted_ to answer her, but 'I want to help you somehow, and be with you forever' seemed a bit much to offer so quickly. Even if the German redhead had been on his mind all the time since they'd met, he was still hesitant to do anything that might make her pull away again. But he still didn't want to ever let go. He'd never felt this good in her life.

"I..." He swallowed. "I've never had anyone, Asuka. If you... like me, and want me to hold you and be there tomorrow, then... I'm not going to give that up until you make me. I like this. I like you. If... if you want me to hold you, I will, as long as you hold me too."

Asuka's jaw set more firmly at this. "Oh, I'm going to, Third Child. You're mine! I like this, and I'm not going to let anyone take that, or you, away from me. Not Angels, not NERV, not Misato, not Wondergirl, nobody. We live together, we train together, we fight together, and now..." She blushed again, but didn't lose his eyes. "We stay together. That sound good to you?"

He could only nod.

"You promise?" she pressed. "I think you might be a baka, but the kind of baka who keeps his promises. And I already count on you to fight the Angels with me. So do you promise?"

"I do. I-I mean, I promise. Together, you and me." The words thrilled him.

Asuka's eyes flickered with something he couldn't identify, and she looked like she wanted to say some things, but all she said was "Good." She pulled him closer for another kiss. Or he pulled her. Neither of them could tell.

Time went by. He couldn't tell how much. He didn't care. All that mattered was how it felt to hold someone that wanted him.

Um. How it felt. It felt good. Really good. Heading rapidly for too good, in fact. He reluctantly pulled back. He needed a second to get his brain to work enough to form words. "Um...Asuka?"

Her reply was just as dazed. "Umm?"

_'Oh gods she feels good.'_ "Er... we... I... thermal expansion." He squeaked the words out in a tiny whisper, glad the dim moonlight of her room hid just how mortified he looked. "We... I'm almost..."

"Er... yeah. I can tell... you're... um... hard to miss." Her breathing was almost a pant. "I... we... can't. I mean... not... I'm..." Her whisper dropped even more. "We don't have any... um... protection."

Shinji nearly passed out. _'Did... did she really say... if we did...?"_

"I mean... I... Misato has some in her room, maybe, I think..." she continued, half to herself. "Asuka!" He managed, barely, to keep it to an explosive whisper rather than a near-shout. "We... you're serious?!"

"Don't you dare try to tell me you're not interested or not thinking about it too, baka. You're not fooling anyone." She looked down between them. "But... no. Not... tonight. Not like this."

"You... you've thought about it?" he asked.

She gave him a stare that was simultaneously warm and sarcastic. "Tell me you haven't," she dared him.

Silence.

"That's what I thought." She kissed him again. "Perv. I knew it."

"Hey, you just admitted you did too!"

"I didn't say it was a bad thing. And boy, we are not telling Misato about any of tonight."

"Any?"

"You think the first thing she'd say wouldn't be something like 'Oh noes! You two have to be kept apart, lest naughty deeds ensue!'? She snorted again. "They treat us like kids, but we're soldiers. If we could die any day, any battle... I'm not going to let anyone tell me I'm not allowed to live first. If anyone finds out, they'd make us stop, and probably... probably make us live apart." She sounded very unhappy with the thought. "I bet they'd make me go room with Wondergirl or something. Blech. So we have to pretend we're... like before."

"Even to my friends?" Or yours?"

"You think those Stooges could keep a secret like this? We'll just have to... act like we always do, in public."

"I suppose so..."

Asuka kissed him again, softer than before. "It won't be that bad, my baka-Shinji. When we're all alone..." Her lips curled into a wicked grin and she wiggled against him.

"Oh gods..."

"When we're alone... you're all mine."

XXXXXXXXXX

Morning had just begin to grey they pre-dawn skies when Shinji woke. He blinked blearily as he brushed strands of long red hair out of his face and wondered why his bed felt strange and he had some sort of weight on his chest. His eyes bugged wide as memory rushed in. _'Oh gods... that wasn't a dream?'_ He looked down without moving his head to confirm that, yes, the Second Child was wrapped firmly around him and using his chest for a pillow, smiling faintly in her sleep. _'Nope, that was really real. Oh gods...'_

He carefully slid himself out from under her and got out of bed. She made unhappy noises as her warm 'body-pillow' was taken away, but quieted as he arranged the covers over her and she settled in to the warm spot he'd left.

He stood by the bed for a moment, burning the sight into his memory. Last night had really happened. All of it. Even the... He blushed. Even _those_ parts. 'No protection doesn't mean there's _nothing_ we can do, Third,' she'd said, and proved it. And even more than that, when they'd finally stopped to drift to sleep, she'd quietly whispered again 'I like you too.' That meant more to him than anything else they'd done.

"As long as you'll have me, I promise," he said softly. "Together, forever and always."

He turned and left to start preparing everyone's breakfasts and some hangover medicine for Misato. He missed a crystal blue eye cracking open wide with shock as she watched him leave.


	3. Ch 2 - The First Morning After

Asuka felt warm. Comfy. Someone was holding her. She could hear a steady heartbeat right under her ear. This was nice. She didn't want to wake up. This was the first time she could remember in too long that she hadn't been dragged out of restless sleep by the alarm. She was being roused anyway, however, by the sudden increase in the pleasant heartbeat, and then the removal of the warmth she'd been cuddling. She mumbled sleepy complaints, but the warmth left anyway. She felt someone gently covering her with the blankets, and reluctantly burrowed into the warm spot on the mattress.

"As long as you'll have me, I promise," a soft voice said. "Together, forever and always."

_'Oh, that sounds nice. I hate being lonely. Are they talking to me?'_ she mused drowsily. Wait, she knew that voice. She'd never heard it so soft or close before last night, though... Her eye not pressed into the sheets snapped open. _'Oh. Oh holy shit. That was real. We...'_ She could see the familiar back of the Third Child walking out of her room. Away from her bed. Where they'd spent the night... together. Eep.

The soft THAP of the door to her room sliding shut was like a starting pistol. Asuka bolted upright, her heart pounding. The sudden prickle of colder air on her skin and a quick glance down confirmed her memory of tossing her shirt across the room to prove to the Third she was serious. She had no idea where her shorts had ended up. She'd had other things on her mind at the time. She blushed as bright red as her Evangelion as memories of exactly what they'd done after that point flooded her waking mind. It was a good thing Misato had been totally knocked out and they had no neighbors!

She rapidly tossed on a change of clothes for the day, grabbed her A-10 headset, and cracked her door open. No one in sight. The faint sounds of her fellow Pilot beginning breakfast was the only thing she heard. No sign of Misato. Right. Go.

She slipped out of her door and quietly made her way towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, the layout of the apartment meant she had to go through the dining area right off the kitchen in order to make the bathroom. But as long as Shinji had his back turned, she could make it there without him seeing her. She wouldn't have to look him in the eye yet. Which right now, sounded like a really good idea.

A few more steps and she could see him. He was facing the counter, making something for their breakfast. A quick, quiet dash and she was in the bathroom, the folding door snapped shut behind her. Safe.

The reflection in the mirror argued otherwise. The girl in the mirror looked like she was about to freak out. _'Okay, Soryu... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!'_ She... it had worked. She'd finally gotten that dense, oblivious, blind baka to finally notice the fact she'd been trying to get him to _react_ to her hints that she... kind of thought he was cute. A bit. And it had _worked_. She'd kissed him. He'd put his arms around her. They'd kissed some more. It had been really nice. They'd talked. _Connected_. They'd _ gone to bed together._ They'd...

She clamped a hand over her mouth to halt a sudden mad giggle. They'd... done just about everything two teenagers could do without risking a surprise nine months later. And every bit had been as spectacular and dizzying as that first kiss. _'Who'd have thought the Third Child would be so good at this?'_ she wondered giddily. And most of all, he'd promised to be there again tonight. And the next night. And the next.

_'Alright, Soryu, quit dodging the issue. Yeah, losing purity points was fun and you can't wait to do it again, but that's not why you're hiding in the bathroom, afraid to look him in the eye right now, is it? He... said things last night. Made promises. He just did it again. That stupid, clumsy, dense baka... likes you. And you like him. He understands what it feels like. He's just like you. You're not alone. And he wants to stay with you.'_ "Which is Gott damn _terrifying_..." she whispered out loud.

She could admit it now, in a slightly more self-conscious part of her mind. He was kind of cute. He was polite and self-effacing to the point it could drive her nuts, but he was also kind, gentle, and could be stupidly brave to almost ridiculous lengths when protecting others. _'He dove into a volcano without a second's thought to save me. No one's ever done anything even close to that for me.' _He was an elite Eva Pilot, like her, a 'prime catch' as some of the other girls at school had quietly mentioned. He sometimes showed a spark of energy and anger when she'd pushed at him that secretly thrilled her, the way he would _react_ to her, pushing to match her, making her push just as hard to stay ahead of him. He made her feel alive. He was... a good guy. He'd renewed his promise this morning, when he must have thought she was asleep. He wasn't just saying things for her to hear. He meant it. And now he wanted to be with her.

Everything she could want. Pity she had _no freaking idea what to do next. 'Okay, Soryu, you wanted to catch this tiger. Now you've got him. So now what? I didn't exactly have a plan for part two! Now I'm hiding in the bathroom because I'm afraid the minute we look at each other we're both going to go redder than my hair, Misato's going to figure it out, and make me go move in with Wondergirl. Then Shinji will realize he can do better than the nasty, useless pretend-Pilot I am and find someone else because every good thing in my life goes away and nobody wants me and..._

"No!" she insisted at her reflection. "No no no! He promised! He likes me! He held me! I'm not letting this go!" All her hidden worries at not matching up to the First Child still boiled up at her. She'd needed Shinji with her to beat Galghiel and Israfel. She'd beaten Sandalphon by herself... but Shinji had to save her life. Shinji had killed Matarael; she'd just been a meatshield. She'd gotten the killing blow on Sahaquiel... but only after Shinji had caught it himself. Not to mention the three Angels he'd killed before she even got here. Hell, Doctor Akagi had killed Iruel! The lab-coated old lady had as many solo Angel kills with a _keyboard_ as she did in her Eva!

She fought back. She was an elite Eva Pilot! She had no fear in battle! She was not going to let herself be afraid here! She'd been afraid last night, afraid Shinji would miss her hints again, but this time he'd answered! And it had been _great_! He'd promised they'd keep going! She stared into the mirror until the worried look faded away. The smile that replaced it was a bit fragile, but felt good.

"He likes me. He thinks I'm beautiful. I'm here now, and I'm going to make him fight hard to keep up with me against the Angels. He's just like me. Anything 'Invincible Shinji-sama' can do, I can do too! And he's going to hold me no matter what! I can't lose!" She worked her A-10 headset in under her hair and started tying up the tails of her hair in the back to the receiver nodes before attacking it with brushes and combs to make it shine.

Finally satisfied with the results, she admired herself in the mirror. She preened. "He thinks I'm beautiful? I'm going to knock his socks off today!" She looked great. She turned to the bathroom door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

A zombie lurched at her. "Bathrooooom..." it moaned, arms blindly fumbling in front, reaching at her...

Asuka blanched. "AAAAAAA!"

Misato squinted her eyes shut even harder and slammed her hands over her ears. "AAAgh! Not so loud! And turn off that light! Oh gods, my head!"

Asuka staggered out of the way of the hungover Major and tried to bring her pulse back down. She'd nearly had a heart attack! Misato wobbled past her, still moaning. The bathroom door snapped shut behind her. Wait, that meant she was now in the dining area... Her eyes shot left.

There he was. He was walking out of the kitchen area with her breakfast on a tray. He looked up as she appeared, a smile breaking out on his face...

Which meant he was totally surprised when he walked right into the table and smashed his toe against the leg. He managed to plop the tray down on the table without spilling anything, but then started hopping around sputtering in pain and holding his mashed foot.

_'Well, that was a nice anticlimactic way to start the day...'_ Asuka shook her head. If painful for Shinji, his accident had at least broken the ice. The smile he'd started to aim her way had also been reassuring. He had a nice smile, and it had appeared so automatically as soon as he'd seen her. Just like her own.

_'Soryu, you'd better learn to get that under control if you liked last night. Misato figures out you and he are sweet on each other for real, and she'll start watching you like a hawk to keep anything like that from going on!'_ she warned herself. She grit her teeth. Right. Control. They had to be cool when others were around.

"Shinji?"

Shinji looked up from rubbing his foot. He nervously smiled. "H-hi, Asuka. I mean, good morning. Um..." He trailed off, uncertain.

"We've only got as long as it takes Misato to shower and get back out here to talk, so we're going to have to be quick. Sit down."

Shinji sat down across from her, his hands restlessly flitting about in front of him. "Um... yes?"

"I... I heard you this morning."

Shinji blushed. "Er... I..."

"I... it's good, okay? I like it, that you would say that when you didn't think I could hear it. I know you meant it, just like... last night." She flushed some herself. "Yeah, all that stuff too but I mean... everything that we said. I meant it. And I'm glad you did too." He was starting to smile at her that way again. She started to match him, but stopped herself. "And I like it when you smile at me like that... but we've got to stop."

Shinji's face fell. "No..." he said, his voice hollow.

She reached across to grab his hand. "Not like that, baka! You are still holding me tonight, Third Child! You promised! What I mean is... we can't just... be all sunshine and smiles at each other like that. Not while Misato's around."

Shinji's desperate return grip on her hand eased. Color flooded back into his face. "Oh... right." He sighed in relief. "I... get it. I guess."

"I liked last night, Shinji. I woke up feeling good. I never wake up like that. I don't want it to stop, any of it. But if Misato catches us, that's the first thing she'll do, If she even finds out we're... that we really like each other, she'll be watching for it, So we can't let her catch us, or even suspect. And that means we've got to act like before, right?" Asuka argued.

"I suppose. At school too?" He regarded their hands with a slightly sad look. "I wish we didn't have to. I can hardly look at you without smiling now, Asuka." He looked up at her shyly. True to his word, he started to smile. "We're... we're alone when we walk to school, though, right? We can... maybe hold hands? For some of it?"

_'Damn it, Shinji. Stop being so cute at me.'_ She cleared her throat. "Ahem! Maybe. If we're in a spot where _no one_ can see us. We'll have to be careful. I don't want to end up having to live with Wondergirl, got it? Anyone sees us, and we'll have to deny it." She squeezed his hands one more time before pulling hers back. The warmth from his fingers was too seductive, and she knew if she let herself she'd just keep holding his until Misato came out and found them like that. "We're going to be like always at school, though. So... when I yell at you for being a baka... just... know that I don't really mean it, okay?"

"I... I know." Shinji nodded. "It's... it's okay. I get to see the real you at home. As long as I know... you're just like me."

A chill ran down her spine. _'The real me?'_ She suppressed it. _'Stop it. I am not useless. I am elite. He's going to have to keep up with me.'_ She kept her face calm. She let her hand snake back out to grab his again. His long, deft fingers easily intertwined with hers. She could almost feel the reassurance flowing through their clasp. "Just like me. Now let's eat and get moving before Miss Hangover has too much time to eyeball us."

.

.

Getting out of the house before Misato finished up her hangover-slowed shower routine proved impossible, so over a quiet breakfast she and Shinji had their first trial by fire of whether or not they could fool Misato about their budding relationship. A groggy and light-sensitive Misato proved to be fairly easy to hoodwink, thought, and they escaped quickly after Shinji finished preparing their lunches without her even noticing the two Pilots never looked each other in the face.

Asuka fought down the urge to tow Shinji in through the front gates of the school by her hand, making her claim on him as loudly and publicly as she could. It was a bad idea, she told herself. Too many students would tell their parents, their teachers, or someone else who would eventually talk to their guardian, and then the game would be up. So no matter how much the idea of bragging about the fact she now had a boyfriend (who was, by the way, a fantastic kisser and good in bed) appealed to her, or the boost she could expect to her already considerable social status as the exotic foreign Eva Pilot from being paired up with the boy everyone knew had saved Tokyo-3 more than once, she'd have to stay quiet. Really.

So she restricted herself to merely holding his hand on a couple of the narrower side streets during their walk to school. She told herself it was because he'd asked for it. It totally wasn't because his hand felt warm and made her feel the same, or because the handclasp made her skin tingle at the point of contact. Totally not. It must have been his feet that slowed their walk as they approached the point where more public streets would require them to let go again.

School itself was relatively easy. She just acted tired and a bit surly, responding to Hikari's questions and chatter during the day with grunts and as little talk as possible. She spent most of the day trying not to obviously stare at Shinji and break into grins. That wasn't too easy, with memories of last night constantly popping up in her head. Which inevitably led her to thinking of the coming night...

_'There are vending machines and pharmacies on the way home...'_ a quiet, subversive little voice whispered in her head. _'You could get some protection pretty easily that way. Then there'd be nothing to stop you from a little "special full-synchronization training" hurr hurr hurr...'_ She dug her pencil into her leg to stop the blush that wanted to explode across her face at that thought. She spent the next hour arguing with her body why they shouldn't do that. She was having a real hard time finding arguments. Last night had been too much fun. And more, she felt a deep nee- _desire_ to truly, fully connect with Shinji, to create the deepest bond with him she could. To be sure, at the deepest possible level of her mind, that he really looked at her.

_'He's just like you,'_ the voice insisted. _'He's thinking about it too.'_ That's just because he's a teenage boy. He'd be like that with anyone. _'Except no. Have you ever seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you? Has he ever held anyone like he held you? Kissed anyone like you?'_ No, he... wait. Asuka's eyes drifted past Shinji to the row of seats by the window, to the other Eva Pilot in their class.

Wondergirl. The bluenette was apparently ignoring the teacher again, staring out the window at the puffy clouds drifting across the sky. She'd more than once seen Shinji staring at the First Child during class. Or sometimes Ayanami was staring at Shinji. And they'd been fighting side-by-side for months before she arrived in Japan. There wasn't anything going on between them, was there? Shinji had never said a thing, and neither had Ayanami, but it's not like either were big talkers. _'He does look at her sometimes... and she does look almost as good as I do. Mostly. Somewhat. And I'm sure she'd do whatever she was told anyway. Stupid doll.'_

Gott, now she was getting worried. She might even have a reason. When she'd first arrived, she'd been somewhat surprised to learn that the other girls in their year considered the quiet, unobtrusive Third Child to still be a hot catch for any girl who might nab him as a boyfriend. They thought him polite, a good cook who made his own bentos, kind of cute, and most of all, the famed Evangelion Pilot who'd defended Tokyo-3 from the attacks of three separate Angels. At the time she'd merely sniffed, accepting the last part with a muttered 'of course Eva Pilots are elite' and dismissing the rest as foolish rumors by girls who didn't know how dull he was in person.

But then they'd been forced to live together to train for their synchronized battle with Israfel. She'd found herself watching him, enjoying the way he cooked anything she wanted on demand and constantly cleaned up after her and Misato... how he took care of her. How he rose to the challenges of Eva Piloting, despite obviously not enjoying it the way she did. How he always gave her what she wanted, whenever she asked (or more often, simply demanded, loudly). Until she started wanting more from him than she could bring herself to actually ask for out loud. Then the rumors had started to make sense.

And now he was hers. So the other girls had declared him tasty, so what? A few had even made tentative approaches on him, asking him if he'd like to have lunch and such. He'd always turned them down, out of shyness or obliviousness to the real meaning of their requests. But the end result was Shinji had turned down every other girl who'd approached him... but her. And none of them knew why.

Asuka felt a small smile growing that she couldn't stop this time. None of them knew why, because none of them knew him the way she did. _'He's just like me. No one __**can**__ know him like I do. Not even Wondergirl. He's mine!'_ That was a small surprise to her too, that she was looking forward to _talking_ to Shinji tonight almost as much as her hormones were looking forward to the rest. Someone who could _understand_! _'He's just like me!'_ And he'd been scared, last night. She had been too, honestly. Neither of them were the kind of people to open up easily. But there was just something about him that dew her... She... wanted him. As a boyfriend, a confidant, a... a... everything. Even that ultimate step of intimacy, but... yeah, it was still a bit scary. So maybe not all the way just yet, but for damn sure they were going to talk and hold each other tonight. Asuka hadn't slept so well or peacefully in _years_. No nightmares, no restlessness, nothing but comfort and warmth.

And most of all, she hadn't felt _alone_. _'Gott, this is like a drug,'_ she thought. _'First hit's free...'_ But who cared, when it felt like this?

The lunch bell startled her out of her pleasant daydream. Time to mask up. She stood up and stalked over to Shinji's desk, a glower slipping over her face. "Baka-Shinji! Where's my lunch!" she growled at him, slamming her hands down on his desk.

He jumped at the impact, his mouth opening to say something. She narrowed her eyes at him, just a hair, and flicked her look at their classmates. Shinji got the hint and just said, "H-here, Asuka. Just the way you like it."

She accepted the proffered box with a haughty look, taking it without another word and walking towards Hikari's desk at the front of the room.

Her friend was waiting for her with a slightly disapproving look. "You know, Asuka, you could be nicer to Ikari-kun. He makes your lunch for you every day, and you hardly even say thank you," she chided her as they walked outside to eat.

_'I almost wish I could tell you about last night right now, Hikari, just to see the look on your face.'_ Aloud, she held herself to, "He understands what I meant. I thank him after dinner at home." _'And oh boy, am I going to thank him tonight!'_ "Anyway, I think your sister owes me an apology. That guy she set me up on that blind date with yesterday was _incredibly_ boring, and he tried to cop a feel on me after barely an hour at the amusement park!"

Hikari winced. "I'm sorry, Asuka! Kodama said he was a nice guy! And she was very insistent and persuasive."

"She probably owed him a favor, or money," Asuka grumbled. ""After that, I just left him waiting in line and went home. And I'd gotten all dressed up for it, too. Hmph!"

"I'm really sorry. No more blind dates, I promise!"

Asuka waved her concern away. "It's fine, he's gone and forgotten. Tomorrow I won't even remember his name. So much for him being a 'dashing older student' like you said. He was just a selfish jerk out for a cheap feel, not anything like a real good man, like Kaji-san or S-" Asuka suddenly coughed violently and covered her mouth. _'Crap! You idiot! That was close!'_

"Or who?" Hikari asked.

"Ssssssschelbert-san. Guy I knew in Berlin. Nice guy, very... er... tall. You don't know him," Asuka improvised. "But yeah, no more blind dates. Why don't you take the next one?"

Her friend blushed and mumbled something into her lunch. Asuka rolled her eyes. Her friend's poorly hidden giant crush on Shinji's athletic friend was cute, annoying, and right now a perfect distraction. Asuka mentally growled at herself for nearly blowing things that easily. Gah. When was this school day going to end?

"Do you think Suzuhara likes anyone in our class?" Hikari asked.

Asuka groaned.

.

.

The final bell of the day came as a relief. As they were leaving Hikari invited Asuka out shopping as an apology for the blind date gone wrong, but Asuka begged off, citing vague NERV-related things she needed to do ahead of a synch test tomorrow. She'd signaled Shinji with her eyes to go on ahead of her, not wanting to be seen leaving in his company, but she caught up with him before he'd even made the first corner on their path home. She'd seized his hand as soon as they were out of sight of any fellow students, though she did ensure they kept to less visible streets.

Once in the door of Misato's apartment they'd nearly attacked each other, schoolbags immediately flung away. After only thirty minutes Shinji somehow managed to pull back and suggest they stop, over Asuka's protests. He reluctantly pointed out that if they still had homework and such undone when Misato got home a little later, she'd probably ask why. Misato knew Shinji was a dutiful student, and Asuka a college-graduate genius in Germany, so there was no reason they wouldn't already be done when she got home... unless something else had occupied them.

With only a modest amount of further pouting, Asuka decided that they should study together, at least. Misato would accept an explanation of that being an aftereffect of their synchronization training if they were found doing that. They could write it off as Shinji helping her study up on kanji, if nothing else. Plus, Shinji needed all her genius help on his math and science that he could get. She did enjoy the look he got when she sweetly asked if she should put on _that_ bikini again to teach him more physics. She grinned wider when he managed to stutter a 'yes?'.

Working together to cover their weaker subjects actually made things go faster. They'd just finished up their studying about 5PM when the phone rang. Shinji answered it. "Hello? Katsuragi residence."

"And this is Katsuragi. Hi, Shin-chan. I'm making up for the time I took off for that wedding yesterday, so I'll be running really late. Don't bother leaving any dinner for me. I'll catch a meal here in the cafeteria or something. Maybe make Kaji buy me take-out. Anyhow, I probably won't get home until after midnight, so try not to fight with Asuka too much. Get to bed on time to get a good night's sleep. You all have that Synch Test tomorrow afternoon."

He glanced at Asuka, whose face had perked up at hearing Misato's voice. She made questioning gestures at him, and crept closer. She leaned in close, trying to put her ear next to the phone to listen in.

"Um, right, Misato-san. We'll be alright. We just finished up our homework, so we'll get to bed early, both of us," he said calmly. Asuka reeled away, clapping her hands over her mouth and fighting to contain her laughter.

"Good boy, Shin-chan. I'll see you in the morning." She hung up.

Asuka burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Oh, yeah, we're both getting to bed soon! Third, I didn't think you had it in you to try sneaking jokes past Misato like that! Hahahaha!"

Shinji shrugged and scratched the back of his head, but still grinned back at her. "Well, it's about what I would have said anyway, before, and it's still _true_, so I'm not lying or anything..."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. "Heh. Technically correct, the best kind of correct. Now hurry up and make dinner. The faster you get done and we eat, the faster we can... ah... do everything else."

He started to open cupboards and pulled out the wok. "We..." He blushed. "We don't have... I mean... I really liked those parts, Asuka, but... I like talking to you too. I've... never had anyone who can understand like you. I want to be... I... I like being able to talk like we did last night."

"Not just trying to roll me into bed as fast as you can? Are you sure you're a teenage boy? Aren't you supposed to be all about that? It sure sounds that way, listening to your Stooge buddies," Asuka needled him, covering her nervousness at the topic.

Shinji looked at the floor. "I... do like that part too, Asuka. But... I... you're not just a beautiful girl to me, okay? You're... special. There's pretty girls in our class and stuff, but they're... They can't understand. I don't want to talk to them. They're not you. So I don't want to _just_ kiss you. I... I want all of you."

He raised his head to look at her when he finished. Those dark blue, so damn blue eyes were increasingly making Asuka's insides melt when he did that, almost as much as his words this time. She tried to get her mouth to form actual words. "W-well, what about Ayanami? She's pretty, and she knows Eva. I've seen you looking at her, too."

Shinji blinked. "Ayanami? She... doesn't talk much. And I like her, but... she's not... so alive, like you. I don't... I worry that she doesn't seem to have any friends and takes too many risks in her Eva, but she doesn't keep me awake at night like you." He blushed again. "I mean... Not like last night! I mean before that! Oh wait, that sounds worse... I wasn't... gah..."

Asuka tried not to show how much better that made her feel. "Ohh? Thinking of me at night Shin-chan?" she asked, sweet as could be. "Baka hentai Shin-chan, up all night..."

He was thoroughly red now. "I... hey!" His eyes narrowed. "You're just like me! Were you... doing the same?"

Shinji pushing back? This was new and interesting. And true, as it happened, not that she was going to admit it so easily. "Me? I'm a proper and well-mannered young lady! I would never..."

"You totally were, weren't you?" Shinji interrupted, his blush easing as his smile grew.

Well, mostly about Kaji, at least at the beginning, but Shinji _had_ started cropping up in there more and more. Thoughts of just sneaking across the hall one night, slipping into his room in the dark... A tingle ran through her at the thought that fantasy was now entirely possible, no, _probable_ on a night very soon. She coughed into her hand. "...maybe." Gott, this was fun. He was pushing back at her. He was _looking _at her.

Shinji set the oven to cook and got out more dinner ingredients, grinning. "Asuka...this is kind of scary... but fun."

"I know."

"Not just the kissing. All of it."

"I know."

He looked at her closely again, the way he had yesterday just before he started listing their shared traumas. "You... you're scared at opening up... but that's even more exciting and terrifying than the... the parts in bed. But you don't want to stop. You've never felt like this before."

She made herself meet his look and shot back. "You... can't wait to get your hands on me again. You were thinking about it all day. It's a little scary, yeah, but... you want more. Of all of it."

He leaned in closer. "You... last night just happened. Knowing we're going to sleep next to each other already, at the start of... tonight is... different. You're..." Shinji placed visibly shaking hands on her waist, pulling her close. She tried not to shake likewise. "Scared. This still feels like some kind of wild dream. To you." He added at the last minute, keeping up the pretense.

She just gave a tiny nod. "We're Eva Pilots. We can do anything." She let their foreheads press together, looking right into his eyes from up close. This time their kiss was more tentative, but carried a different feeling then their earlier, intense make-out. "Finish making dinner, Shinji. I want to get to bed _soon_."

He pulled back and nodded. "Right. We told Misato we would," he said with a smile. "Synch Test tomorrow and stuff." He turned back to the wok.

"I am so going to kick your ass in that, Third Child."

Surprisingly, he pushed back at her one more time. "Bet you won't."

She let a delighted shiver run through her. "Oh, it is so on, Third."

Chapter 3 in progress. Leliel is coming. Things will change. And of course, there will be fan service! /Misato voice


	4. Ch 3 - Testing and Proving Pt 1

Misato sipped at the soup, making a surprised and pleased sound at the flavor. "Mmm. Hey, Shinji, did you change the soup stock?"

Shinji carefully lifted up the hot pot with the rest of lunch in it with mittened hands and turned towards the table. "Yeah, it's a bonito stock. It's a gift from Ritsuko-san."

"HOTTTTTTTTTT!" The aggrieved shout from the bathroom startled the two inhabitants of the dining area. A rapid stomping of feet heralded the door to the bathroom being flung open by an upset redhead clad only in a pair of towels wrapped tightly around her hair and torso. She leveled an accusing finger at Shinji. "That bath was too HOT!"

"I'm sorry," his mouth said on autopilot. A small part of his brain was concentrating on not dropping the hot pot on his feet, because most of it was trying not to drool helplessly over the way Asuka's long, smooth legs disappeared up under the hem of the towel, mixed in with memories of last night that said sight triggered. Stopping in the middle of things to take a shower had been Asuka's idea. It had been a good one; she'd suggested there was a way to save water... Wow...

Um. She was still pointing at him and yelling. "You always apologize right away, but do you actually feel sorry?!"

"Um." Nope, brain still off.

"It's like you apologize as a conditioned reflex to avoid being scolded!"

"I'm sorry." Autopilot was still good, check.

"Exactly like that. You're just fundamentally too self-deprecating!"

He frowned slightly. She'd mentioned something similar last night, when they were quietly talking in her bed, but her tone had been much softer then. He could understand that yelling at him now was a part of keeping up their front of antagonism for Misato, but it still stung a little. Less than it might have if he didn't know she actually cared about him, though. It did remind him they were still deceiving Misato, however, and his face clouded. He hated lying to her.

Misato saw his look darken, but misunderstood why. She came to his rescue against Asuka's rant. "Now, now, that's just Shin-chan's way..."

Asuka folded her arms over her chest and sniffed. "Just his way? You're being too soft on him! He need firm training, not lax attitude! Haven't you been a little too soft on him lately?"

"Have I?" Misato asked innocently, taking a sip from her beer. She loved Sundays.

Asuka glared at their guardian. "Just because you and Kaji-san have hooked up again, don't project your happiness on other people so easily!"

"There's nothing between Kaji and me," Misato intoned piously.

The phone in Misato's bedroom rang, and picked up on voicemail after one ring. "Yo, Katsuragi!" Kaji's voice rang out, perfectly clear to everyone in the dining room. "I found a bar that serves a decent drink! How about tonight? See you!" Beeeeeep.

Misato's expression was a trifle embarrassed.

Asuka's tone shifted from angry to sarcastic. "Sure, nothing between you... No daylight, no air gap, nothing but sweat, I bet! Perverted guardian! Disgusting!"

Misato just tipped her can back and looked intently at the ceiling, muttering about Kaji's sense of timing.

With Misato's gaze diverted, Asuka took the chance to give Shinji a wink. _'So Misato will probably be out tonight, hmm?'_ it promised. Asuka slipped back into the bathroom as Shinji quickly turned back towards the kitchen to hide his face. He wasn't entirely comfortable with hiding their relationship from Misato, but sometimes the game was a thrill on its own...

.

.

"B-type harmonics test complete, no problems. Projected adjustment values have been cleared," Lieutenant Ibuki's voice rang over the test chamber's speakers.

Misato covered her mouth to hide a yawn. The observation room overlooking the test chamber was too warm for her comfort, thanks to the blood-warm vat of LCL the Test Plugs sat in for the Synch Test. The heat and short sleep were leaving her drowsy.

She didn't hide the yawn well enough. "You look tired, Misato-san," observed Lieutenant Hyuga.

Misato rubbed at her neck. "Yeah, for a lot of private reasons," she admitted.

"Kaji," Doctor Akagi commented flatly, not even looking up from her clipboard.

"_Shut _it!" Misato barked at her old friend. So it might have been true, so what? It still wasn't what everyone thought. But better everyone assuming she was just up all night because she and Kaji were back together than anyone looking closer. Kaji showing her the unearthly white giant stored away in Terminal Dogma had been enough to keep her awake for hours all by itself. The drinking she'd done to let herself finally get to sleep had been entirely medicinal, for a change. What _else_ was NERV keeping secret besides an Angel in the basement?

She sighed, returning her attention to the nearly completed Synch Test. She bent over Maya's chair. "Well, how's the Third Child doing?" she inquired.

Maya smiled over her shoulder and tapped at her keyboard, bringing up a simplified results display. "Take a look."

"Hmm, let me see..." It took her a second to interpret the technical readout and compare it to the prior results, but only one. This was the 132nd Synch Test, after all. "A six percent jump over last test? Are... are the results stable? Wow."

Maya nodded. "It's not just him, either. The Second Child is up too, four percent. Shinji's caught up to her. In fact, he's peaking ahead of her by a hair on some of the harmonics, but he can't seem to stabilize that."

"What about Rei? Is this an artifact of the equipment modifications we're testing?"

The technical Lieutenant shook her head. "I checked her, too. She's up, but just zero-point-eight percent. It's just Shinji and Asuka getting this big spike. I'll try to isolate the cause."

"My my... I hope that knowing this will boost his confidence. Asuka is always going on about how superior and elite she is. Shinji catching up to her might give him a boost, and maybe spur her on to stay ahead." She keyed the Pilot's communication link. "Can you hear me, Shinji-kun?"

Shinji opened his eyes in the Test Plug. He actually looked pretty happy for once, Misato noted. He perked up further at her voice. "Misato-san? How were my test scores?"

Misato gave him a thumbs-up. "You're up six points this time, Shinji! You're tied with Asuka!"

Shinji glowed happily. The rare, straight praise almost seemed to surprise him.

.

Asuka snorted derisively in her plug. "No doubt because of my fine example of how to be a superior Eva Pilot! You should be honored how much of me has rubbed off on you, Third Child!" Asuka quickly cut the comm window off and desperately stuffed her hands over her mouth. _'Oh Gott, now baka-Shinji's got me doing it too! 'How much of me has rubbed off on him?' Hahahahaha! How about 'all of me, several times!'?'_ She grinned beneath her covering hands. Last night had been even more fun than the first. Shinji's long, sensitive musician's fingers were good for more than just playing cello. He gave _amazing_ backrubs.

She was actually enjoying herself. So he'd caught up? She was going to make him work to stay there. Mama would be proud of her. If Shinji could raise his Synch Score enough to match her, she could raise hers just as much to keep ahead. _'I like the idea of making him chase me, oh yes.'_

She sank her head back into the seat and smiled faintly, closing her eyes. _'I haven't felt this good in years. Mama, would you have liked him? He makes me happy like you did. ...I wish I could show him to you.'_

_._

Maya narrowed her eyes at the test results. Asuka's graph had just wobbled upwards another 0.5 percent. She glanced up at the display screen showing all three Pilot's faces side by side. Rei was as blank as ever. Shinji was smiling, still chatting with Misato. Asuka... had her head back and eyes closed, like she was meditating. "Asuka, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. You just went up another half a point!"

.

Asuka blinked her eyes open in surprise. A cocky grin grew on her face. "Oh, does that mean Shinji's no longer caught up, hmm?"

Misato gave her a half-smile. "You are now just ahead of him, Asuka. You are Number One."

.

"Oh man, that was a close one, but in the end my natural skill and superior training record easily beat him. And you were just left in the dust, First. To be honest, getting beat that easily must be a little frustrating for you, no? I can't help it that I'm amazing, wonderful, awesome, just tooooo awesome for you to match! Even the great, invincible Shinji-sama cannot beat me! Although he is _almost _as good as I am. My influence, no doubt. Just being around me makes him better. You should try it sometime, First."

_'Being around Ikari-kun more often would... be agreeable,' _Rei thought. She otherwise tried her best to tune out the Second Child's happy babbling. The Second had been unusually cheerful the last few days. Her successfully registering the top Synch Score in today's test seemed to have energized her even more. She had not stopped talking since they'd left the test chamber, mostly about her own superiority. Rei frowned slightly. She was mentioning Ikari-kun unusually often, and in more complimentary manner than she commonly favored him with. She had only used 'baka' twice the entire time. Curious.

Rei shelved the thought for later. Doctor Akagi had ordered her to stop by her lab, to be followed by her regular full brain scan and upload in Terminal Dogma. She did not have time to spend listening any further to the Second's opinion of herself, nor devote to the mystery of why she seemed less hostile to Ikari-kun lately. She finished adjusting her school uniform and closed her locker. Picking up her bookbag, she walked to the door of the locker room.

"Well, that just means you'll get to take it easy from now on, right? But I guess you should at least do your best not to be left behind," Asuka continued, not even looking at Rei as she energetically danced around in front of her locker, admiring herself in the mirror mounted in the door.

"Goodbye," Rei said quietly, leaving the Second to continue her chattering without an audience. Not that Rei cared.

.

Asuka froze as the door hissed shut and listened carefully as Rei's delicate footsteps faded away down the hall. Without another word she rapidly finished dressing and slammed her locker shut. She was out the locker room door and down the hall in the opposite direction within thirty seconds of Rei's departure, bag bouncing madly against her hip as she ran.

_'I told him to wait for me at the Geofront-to-surface train station near the fourth shaft. If I make it there in the next ten minutes, he and I can catch the bus on the surface almost all the way home. We'll be alone and in the apartment by 1830!' _Asuka grinned and ran faster. _'And I won! So it was by half a point? So what? I'm still the best! And Shinji's chasing right behind me! With me! Come on, Third Child, chase me!'_

She skidded into the deserted train station with a minute to spare. She spotted Shinji waiting on a bench near the last door in the train. The train itself stood empty with its door open. The lack of regular riders on this particular train was why Asuka had selected it. The automated voice was already warning them to board. She pointed at the train as she ran the last few meters to board the car closest to her. Shinji jogged into the one near him and immediately started moving his way forward to meet her. They ran together and wrapped their arms around each other like they'd been separated for days instead of a few hours.

"The ride... to the... surface," Asuka gasped between kisses, "Is eighteen minutes. We'll be in public at the surface station and on the bus, so let's make the most of this ride."

"Un," Shinji agreed, unwilling to waste time with words. His hands were already starting to work their magic on her back, kneading at muscles made stiff from hours spent sitting in the Test Plugs.

Asuka groaned in pleasure. _'Mmm... Gott, his hands... you are mine mine mine, Third Child.'_

All too quickly, they were on the surface, waiting ten minutes for the bus to take them to within a few blocks of Misato's apartment. Asuka forced herself to wipe the contented smile off her face while they were in public, forcing it down to one of her more usual haughty smirks. The crowd of homeward-bound NERV people forced them to pretend to ignore each other. Happily, the bus fairly quickly emptied out of most of its passengers as it headed north through Tokyo-3. The orange light of the setting sun made the whole bus glow, making Shinji's chestnut brown hair looki like it had a halo from Asuka's seat behind him.

Once they were almost alone on the bus, Asuka felt safe to talk to him, and rested her head on her arms on the back of Shinji's seat. Shinji was staring out the window, a faintly sad look on his face. She poked him in the back of the head. "Why the glum look, Shinji?"

Shinji blinked and snapped out of his distracted fugue. "Uh? Oh, it's nothing."

She poked him again. "Bullshit. Talk, Third. I like it when you smile too."

That did bring a faint smile to his face. "Well... I was pretty happy I'd caught up to you there for a minute. You're... you've been training for this your whole life, Asuka. It's kind of intimidating, trying to keep up with you. It all seems to come to you so easily. But then you somehow pulled out ahead again. I... I wonder sometimes if I'm good enough to keep up with you at all."

"Don't. Being the second greatest Eva Pilot in the world isn't exactly making you one of the unwashed masses, Shinji, especially when _I'm_ the top mark. You brought your score up six points in a week, and almost matched me. And who beat Sachiel with no training? Who beat Shamshel despite two Stooges in the Entry Plug with him weighing him down? Who was right there with me against Gaghiel and Israfel? Hm?"

Shinji colored a bit. "Me," he mumbled.

"Damn straight. So straighten up and be proud of it, Shinji. You're more than good enough to fight with me. We're elite Eva Pilots, one in a billion. Don't you ever stop chasing me, either. You and me are the most dangerous people on the planet. There's no one else I'd trust to have next to me in a fight like you." Asuka stopped and blinked to herself. She hadn't intended to be that open. She hadn't even realized how true that statement was until she said it. But it was. The thought of going into a fight now without her baka-Shinji at her side was profoundly unappealing. When they were together, they _won_. "Until the end of the world, you and me, against the Angels and anything else that tries to hurt us."

Shinji turned in his seat to look straight at her. His mouth worked, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Eventually he just nodded, his eyes glistening a bit. He leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Yes."

A couple of kids at the front of the bus snickered at the two teens kissing in the back. Asuka eyed them disdainfully. _'Eh, no one we know. Screw it. They want to stare and laugh? Let's give them something to watch.'_ She grabbed Shinji and kissed him harder. "Mmm, and you keep doing that, Third. Always."

The bus rolled to a halt at their stop with a hiss of brakes. Shinji stood up, his hand halfway to helping her up before he remembered they shouldn't be seen doing that. Asuka too it anyhow. "Let's go have dinner," she smiled. "And get to bed."

.

On an unremarkable side street in the center of Tokyo-3, the perpetual summer sun of Japan's post-Second Impact altered climate beat down on a dark sedan, painting the pavement beneath it inky black with shadow. The air shimmered from the reflected heat off all the tall white buildings, but that couldn't account for how the black shadow began to bulge and spread, rapidly becoming bigger than the car, than the street, than the entire block...

-

"Five minutes until the evacuation of the Western District is complete!"

"Target is advancing slowly southwest at two point five kilometers per hour!"

Misato skidded to a stop as she finally made it to Central Dogma. "I'm here!" she shouted, trying to be heard over the screaming Angel alarm.

"You're late!" Ritsuko joked darkly.

"So sorry! What's the situation? Why didn't the radar observation station at Fuji pick it up?"

Lieutenant Aoba's hands flew over his keyboard, bringing up displays for every camare they had with a view on the giant black-and-white striped orb floating over the city. "It just suddenly appeared directly overhead, Major. No transition."

"Pattern Orange, no AT-Field detected!" Lieutenant Hyuga reported.

"What does that mean?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko shook her head. "A new kind of Angel?"

Misato wheeled on Lieutenant Ibuki. "MAGI analysis?"

"The MAGI are witholding judgment on if it's an Angel," the tech replied.

"What _else_ could it be?" Misato muttered. "Damn! Commander Ikari just has to be gone at a time like this, too. The Evas?"

"Already launched and on the surface. They're arming now from the weapons structures," Lieutenant Hyuga said.

Misato gestured for him to patch her through to them. "Pilots, can you all hear me? We're sending you all the data we have on the target. We don't know very much right now. Approach it carefully and observe its reactions. If possible, lure it into the airspace outside of the city limits. One of you take point and the other two are back up. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei~!" Asuka warbled cheerfully. I think that should be the obvious choice! Me, of course!"

Shinji gave her a quizzical look over the comm window. "Eh?"

"Well, this _is_ a job for the highest-scoring, utterly fearless number one Synch Rate holder, right? Me! Or do you think you've got the power to match me, Shin-chan?" she asked in a slightly mocking tone.

Shinji's jaw set. "I can do it! I'll show you how it's done, Asuka!"

"Oh, so Shin-chan thinks he's got the mojo now to keep up with me, does he? Misato said it, I'm Number One! Stay right on my ass, Third Child, and see if you can back me up, then! First, you give us long range cover fire!"

"Unit-00 will provide back up," Rei quietly acknowledged.

"It's a man's duty to fight!" Shinji said firmly.

"Please, first you've got to catch up to me, Third! Evangelion Unit-02, taking point!"

"Damn kids, running with it…" Misato grumbled.

"Shinji's gotten to be quite admirable lately, hasn't he?" Ritsuko observed. "And Asuka seems to be using him as a rival to push herself even further."

Misato kept a glare aimed at the main screens. "I'm still going to have to chew them both out when they get back. It's good they've got enthusiasm, but they need to keep it under control."

"You might just make a good teacher," her friend said.

"If I don't strangle them one day," Misato sighed. "Get the JSSDF units organized for the perimeter, Lieutenant."

.

Shinji ran Unit-01 up to the next building and put his back against it, peering around the corner at the flying Angel. It was huge, a striped sphere at least one hundred and fifty meters across, floating along with a weird buzzing sound. _'I don't see a Core, or eyes, or anything. Where are we supposed to attack it?'_ "Ayanami, Asuka, are you in position yet?"

"I am set," Rei replied.

"My power cable ran out of slack. Stand by one, I'm changing to a new cable," Asuka said. "I'll be four hundred meters on our left in ten seconds." There was a short pause before Asuka came back up again. "Alright, I'm in position. Third, I'll strike it with the axe, then you hit it when it reacts to me, got it? I'm counting on you."

Shinji nodded. "Ready." '_You can always count on me, Asuka. I promised.' _He gripped the pistol tighter in Unit-01's hand and breathed out.

Asuka took a deep breath and launched Unit-02 forward. She used a lower building as a step-stool to jump to a taller one. She flung Un it-02 off the top of the tower she'd identified as the closest building to the floating sphere. She gave a banshee howl as she swung her Eva-scaled Progressive Axe down on the Angel.

And hit air. The Angel vanished as she struck, the sphere evaporating from view. Asuka crashed back down to the street below, Unit-02 leaving two gigantic footprints stomped a meter into the asphalt. "What?!"

"It disappeared!" Ritsuko exclaimed in Central Dogma.

"Pattern Blue! Angel confirmed! Directly below Unit-02!" Hyuga shouted.

Misato spun towards him. "What?!"

Asuka looked down. "A shadow?!" The shadows beneath her feet had suddenly turned pitch black and spread out with no apparent source. Years of Evangelion Pilot training had honed her reflexes to a fine edge, and she instantly leapt into the air again, reaching the roof of a four-story building next to her. But just as soon as she reached that perch, the building itself began to sink into the blackness.

"What is this?! This think is fricking _weird_!" Asuka flung her axe at the black. The huge blade struck but vanished with no apparent effect on the Angel, like she'd thrown it into a vat of tar.

"Asuka, get out of there! Move!" Misato barked over the radio. Asuka's building had sunk until Unit-02's feet were once again almost at ground level, if that term even still applied.

"I know!" Asuka leapt again, sprining to another building fifty meters further away. "I did this on the high seas with baka-Shinji on my back! This is nothing!" She jumped again, her path becoming harder as more and more buildings began to sing and tilt as the Angel's shadow grew. "I'm… almost…" Jump, jump, jump… "At the edge of… _scheisse_!" The next building she'd been counting on as a landing spot was already sunken nearly out of sight, and had tilted as it went so that the lower corner was already below the shadow's surface. Asuka's foot came down where the corner should have been just below the surface, but met nothing. Her leg sank into the blackness and Unit-02 toppled forward.

"I can't feel my leg!" Asuka cried. "And… I can't pull it out!" Unit-02 grabbed at the stump of the building remaining above the surface and pulled, but her effort was futile, and the entire building continued to sink. She was already more than waist-deep. "Misato, I can't pull free! I can't feel anything below my stomach! It's… cold!"

Shinji gripped Unit-01's controls harder. She actually sounded… frightened. He tried to keep hisheart from clenching in matching terror. She had to be okay. She had to be. He willed his Eva to move faster. "I'm coming, Asuka! Hold on!" _'I have to save her. I have to save her!'_

"Eject the Entry Plug! Get her out of there!" Misato ordered.

"No good! Signal not received! The Plug won't eject!" Maya replied.

Misato cursed. "Damn! Shinji, Rei, rescue Unit-02, quickly!"

"Roger," Rei answered, just a hint of urgency in her voice. Unit-00 pounded towards the Angel.

Shinji was already at the edge of the still expanding shadow. Most of Unit-02 was already vanished below the surface. Just its head and one arm were still above the shadow. Shinji looked around hurriedly. There had to be something… There! There was the stub of another building about two-thirds of the way to Asuka. He frantically leapt for it, skidding to a stop at its edge. He could just reach Unit-02's hand. He grabbed for it. "Asuka, I'm here! Grab hold!"

Her hand grabbed at his and gripped with desperate strength, but she continued to sink. "Shinji! Don't let go! Don't let me go!" Unit-02's head sank below the black surface. "It's cold! The sensors are all going blank! I can't see anything! Shinji, can you still hear me?! Shinji?! _Don't leave m_-" Her voice dissolved into static as her hand and his dropped below the shadow.

"Asuka?! Talk to me, Asuka!" Shinji's hand went numb. The last of the building he was crouched on sank away, and his feet began to go numb too. He tried to concentrate on keeping his hand gripped anyway, but he couldn't feel if he still held Asuka's hand or not. "Asuka? Asuka?! Are you there? Asuka, answer me, please! Misato, I can't hear Asuka anymore, and I'm sinking too! Ayanami, help me!"

Rei sighted her rifle on the hovering sphere that had reappeared and fired off three shots. The sphere vanished before the shots could impact and the giant rifle rounds merely chewed up the building behind. Rei tossed the useless weapon aside and sprinted towards Unit-01. "Ikari-kun, I am here." She stretched out for his hand, but he was just out of reach. She wrapped her other arm around her power umbilical and put one foot in the blackness, leaning as far out as she could. She sank shin-deep in the darkness almost immediately, but it gave her enough reach to grab Unit-01's hand.

Rei threw Unit-00's weight back, pulling as hard as the titan's muscles would let her. Unit-01's sinking slowly stopped and reversed. Rei used the foot she still had on a hard surface to pull her other out of the shadow and step back, hauling Unit-01 after her.

Shinji couldn't completely stifle the near-sob that escaped him when his hand broke the surface… empty. "_Asuka_!" His breathing rapid rose to a pant and he could feel a cold sweat breaking out under his plugsuit. _'No no no no no no NO NO NO!'_

Misato grit her teeth. "Shinji… Rei… withdraw," she ground out.

"But…" Rei began.

"Asuka is still in there!" Shinji cried. "We have to-"

"Withdraw. That… that's an order."


	5. Ch 4 - Testing and Proving Pt 2

"Second tank squadron, arrangement completed."

"Roger. Hold current position and stand by."

"Sub-laser line opened. Data transmitted."

"Roger. Dispatched in C line," Aoba replied, and closed the link. He turned to Major Katsuragi. "The UN Force's siege formation is complete, Major."

Misato continued to glare at the Angel through the binoculars. "Shadow's status?"

"Immobile," Lieutenant Hyuga replied. "It ceased motion when it exceeded six hundred meters in diameter. But are the land troops useful?"

"They're intended to let us apply pressure," Misato said flatly. _'Right, that Angel really looks intimidated. Idiots.' _She lowered the binoculars. Rei and Shinji were standing nearby. She chewed her lip. She was almost as worried for Shinji as she was for Asuka. He... she'd known since the first time his name had been mentioned that Shinji was Commander Ikari's son, and had vaguely noted their physical resemblance, but this was the first time she'd really seen just how much alike they were in presence... Shinji's posture, his stare, the icy, repellent air... for the first time, Misato actually felt uncomfortable around Shinji... it was like he was an entirely different person.

And she thought she knew why. It hadn't escaped her notice the way the two of them had been calling for each other as Asuka sank. If the situation weren't so grim, she'd have smiled. _'Those two are... you've got to stop needing to dive in to save her from mortal peril like that, Shinji. Never stop doing it, though. Those two need a push. I should see what I can do to help them actually start talking to each other when we get her back. And we are damn well going to.'_

_._

Rei spent a lot of time watching the Third Child. She had passed much time in their classroom covertly observing him. He was one of the only people in the world who spoke to her at all on a regular basis. She was familiar with his mannerisms and habits. She knew he was not given to talking very much, even when with his few friends.

But this... this was different. Ikari-kun had not said a word in four hours, nothing at all since they'd been recovered from their Entry Plugs. He just stood and stared at the Angel hovering over the city. Even his stare was unusual. She had never seen him stare at anything the way he was staring at the Angel, like he was trying to burn a hole in it with his eyes. He was staring at it like... Commander Ikari.

Rei processed that thought some more. Yes, the stare, the rigid posture that radiated controlled tension... it was very much like the Commander. She... did not like to see Ikari-kun like this. It... disturbed her. Ikari-kun she had always associated with kindess, with gentleness. He was the one who spoke to her like a friend, who told her to smile, who... showed care for her.

This Ikari-kun... she wondered if he would even notice her behind him. She had been standing nearby for several minutes, listening to Major Katsuragi receive reports on the status of the JSSDF cordon and the estimated remaining time left on Unit-02's batteries in maximum endurance mode. But Ikari-kun had not moved, not made a sound. His only reaction had been to set the clock on his plugsuit's wrist with a matching countdown timer for Unit-02's batteries; twelve more hours.

_'He is concerned for Unit-02?' _Rei considered. _'No... he is concerned for the Second Child.'_

She had noted the Second and Third Children's interactions before. The Second's obvious interest in Ikari-kun was a source of irritation to Rei. The Second Child did not treat Ikari-kun kindly. This made Rei as close to angry as she really allowed herself to get. When the Second Child had approached her after her arrival, she had dismissed her largely because she saw no reason to associate with her. But afterwards she wished she had accepted her offer, if for nothing else than it would have provided her with a social avenue to express her displeasure at how she treated Ikari-kun.

The way Ikari-kun seemed to somehow return the Second Child's interest puzzled her. During the synchronization training, even though she had performed perfectly adequately with Ikari-kun after only one attempt, Major Katsuragi had still insisted that PIlot Soryu be Ikari-kun's partner. She had been correct in the end; Rei doubted she could have performed as well in the actual attack as the pair had, but still... More recently, Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu had been acting... like they were _acting_, displaying a different attitude than they really felt. It was subtle, but Rei could see it. And now, he was acting very concerned about her. She had never seen him this tense.

"Ikari-kun."

His eyes flicked towards her, but he did not move.

"Ikari-kun... you are acting oddly. Why?"

His jaw worked for a moment. "I am worried about Asuka, Ayanami."

"Why?"

Shinji kept staring at the Angel. "She's... I Piloted against Sachiel to protect you, Ayanami. You protected me when we fought against Ramiel. I dove into Mount Asama to save Asuka. We have the most dangerous job in the world. I hate it that you or Asuka could die-" He suddenly stopped talking and pinched his eyes shut hard. It was a moment before he resumed. "Could die at any time. I don't want anyone I care about to die. And this time... I failed her. I had her hand in mine, she was begging me to save her, and... and... I couldn't. I couldn't do anything. I... what good..." He squeezed his fists so tight Rei could hear the rubbery material of his plugsuit creaking.

"So you would do the same for me?" Rei asked quietly. _'Even though if I die, I could be replaced?'_

Shinji turned to look at her. He looked surprised, the first expression besides coiled tension he'd worn since Unit-02 vanished. "Yes, of course, Ayanami! You... you're my friend! You are both very important to me. I'd do anything to save both of you!" He turned back towards the Angel. "We have to get her back. That matters more than anything, even my life." His voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. "I wish... you'd saved her instead of me."

Rei tried to think of what to say. He could not be replaced like her. Did he value himself so little? Even she was more important to him than himself? And the Second Child? She meant as much to Shinji as Rei herself? More? This... would require much thought.

Misato spoke up from behind them both. "No sacrificing yourself or anything, Shinji. You matter to people too. And we are _going_ to get her back. I still need to chew you both out together for rushing in like that, and I don't want to have to give that speech twice. You both try to get some rest. I'm going to see what Doctor Akagi has come up with for analysis of this thing."

.

Asuka flicked the sensors in Unit-02 on again. The Entry Plug flashed through the wild colors of its startup sequence before once again stabilizing into the exterior view. Or non-view, as it was showing now. Nothing but blank white nothing. Even her radar and sonar readouts read 'null'.

"Still only white noise. Radar and sonar get no response. This space must be just too vast," she muttered to herself. She'd been doing that more and more as the time wore on. It pushed the loneliness back a little. "It's been 12 hours since I switched to life-support mode... four or five hours left to think of something, Soryu. Come on, you're supposed to be a genius..."

She'd tried to sleep after the first few hours of futile attempts at radio contact, radar searches, anything she tried had proved fruitless. But sleep wouldn't come. When she powered off all the systems to save battery, the silence, emptiness, and the damned, damned loneliness pressed in on her. She hadn't realized just how comforting having Shinji lying next to her was, how easy sleep came to her these last few days. Not until she tried sleeping without him.

"Gott, you're pathetic, Soryu. Twelve hours, and you're missing baka-Shinji this bad? Feh." Concentrating on missing Shinji was still better than contemplating the inexorable ticking of the countdown timer on her wrist display. Four hours forty-seven minutes, forty-six, forty-five... "Stop it! He'll come. Or you'll think of something. You're smart and he's so brave he's an idiot. He's always saved you before. You're going to have to balance that score, by the way, or he's going to get a swelled head..." _'Oh, like you still wouldn't fricking cry tears of joy to see him right now.'_ "Fine, I admit it, I... Gott I wish he was here. Or better, I was home. Yeah, in _our_ bed. Gott... it's been three days. How am I already thinking of it like that? Missing it that bad? Because I don't feel alone there, that's why. I... I'm not alone I'm not alone I'm not alonenotalonenotalone-"

She bit her cheek hard to stop the babble. No. She was not doing this. No. She was _not_ having a fucking freak-out just because she was more alone than any human being had ever been... Lost in nowhere... His hand just evaporating out of her grip even as she held on for dear life...

She pounded her fist on her hip. The spark of pain helped her focus. "I am not alone! He's right there! Waiting for me! I just need to find a way out of here!" She ran another sweep with her sensors, then made herself shut it down again when it came up as empty of results as all the others. "I just have to think..."

She stared angrily at the walls of the Entry Plug for a minute. "...I feel hungry..." Shinji's heavenly cooking. Lunches to order. The Black Forest Cake he'd made her last night, a surprise...

Thinking of all that was better than the alternatives.

.

Doctor Akagi was deep into some lecture about the Angel. Shinji tried to listen, hoping she'd offer something to give him hope, but the advanced mathematical diagrams and jargon-laden explanation went mostly past him. The Angel was three nanometers thick? Inverted AT-Field? Imaginary space? The floating sphere was its five-dimensional shadow? What the Hell was a 'Sea of Dirac'? He shook his head.

Misato's expression wasn't encouraging. "So the black shadow that swallowed Unit-02 is the real target?"

Shinji 's right hand clenched and released, clenched and released. He'd defied Misato's order to withdraw to the extent of picking up Unit-00's dropped rifle and emptying its magazine into the shadow, doing his best to force it to give Asuka back. The shots had vanished into it without even a ripple. It was like shooting a cloud of smoke. "So what can we even _do_ to it?" he whispered. _'Your fault your fault your fault...'_

_._

Asuka snapped out of her semi-doze with a start. Something was moving across her field of view! She blinked, then slumped back down. It was just more tiny bits of stuff floating through the increasingly murky LCL.

_'Damn. The filters are giving out. No more power for the purification system. Ugh.' _She coughed. "It's starting to smell... like blood. Dirty blood."

Asuka snapped her hands into fists. She had spent most of her life around LCL. She hardly even noticed its smell or taste anymore. Does a fish notice water? But now it was off. It was the cold. It had to be the cold that was making her hands start to shake. Had to be. And the increasing thickness of the stale LCL was why she was starting to pant. That's all. It was not panic breathing. She was not starting to panic because she had less than an hour left in her batteries and she was alone and cold and so tired and she wanted Shinji and someone help me please please please I don't want to die alone I don't want to die I don't want to

The pain in her hands finally made her realize she was pounding on the Entry Plug hatch and screaming.

She huddle back in the seat, wrapping her arms around herself. She tried to recall the feeling of Shinji's arms around her. She would not cry. She had not cried since the day... the day she found her mother. The only other person who had made her feel better.

"I'm not alone, I'm not alone, I'm not alone," she whispered. "He's just like me. I'd be finding a way to save him, so he'll come for me." She squeezed her arms around herself tighter. "Mama... please... help me..."

.

Misato's look at her oldest friend was anything but friendly. "What?" Her tone of voice would have sent sensible people running for cover. Doctor Akagi did not move.

"It's the only way we've got," Ritsuko said. "Dropping one hundred N2 mines on the center of the shadow timed for simultaneous detonation within one millisecond, plus using Units-01 and -00 to interfere with the Angel's AT-Field should concentrate enough explosive force to break the Angel along with the Dirac Sea that forms its body."

"There's no way Unit-02 can take that kind of impact! Asuka wouldn't... Hell, this is no rescue mission!" Misato declared.

"Killing the Angel is more important than anything else. I'd have thought you'd be on-board with that, Major Katsuragi." Ritsuko's voice was clinical, detached and level. "In this operation, the destruction of the Angel takes top priority. We do not care if Unit-02 is destroyed. Commander Ikari has declared Unit-02 expendable. Even an Eva Unit is acceptable losses if it means destroying the Angel. Recovering Unit-02 is secondary."

Misato bristled. "You mean recovering Unit-02 _and the Pilot_, right?"

"In this case, the Pilot's life is of no concern," Ritsuko said dismissively.

Ritsuko's glasses made a tiny clatter as they hit the ground by her feet. The small sound was lost in the resounding echoes of the full-arm slap that rocked the scientist off her feet and sent her stumbling backwards. Misato's face was a picture of fury. _'That's one of my __**kids**__, you heartless bitch!'_

Ritsuko glared daggers at Misato as she rubbed at her reddening cheek and picked up her glasses. "If Asuka dies, it's your fault! Just remember that!"

Misato grabbed the front of Ritsuko's shirt and got right in her face."Why is Unit-02 'expendable'? What's different between it and Unit-01 or Unit-00? What the Hell is an Eva?" she shouted at her.

"The material I gave you tells you everything regarding Eva," Ritsuko replied icily.

"Bullshit! You're lying!"

"Trust me, Misato." Ritsuko walked past her, back towards the command post. "I am taking command of this entire operation." She pulled out a cell phone and began ordering the JSSDF to divert local air traffic to Kankuu Airport.

Misato started at her friend's retreating back. _'Second Impact, the Human Instrumentality Project, Adam, Eva... NERV has too many secrets I'm being kept in the dark about...'_

_._

The train car swayed and clattered as the train rolled past undiscernable countryside. The orange glow of the setting sun backlit the child-sized form in the other side of the car, rendering it impossible for Asuka to make out the little girl's face. She had hair ornaments like hers, though. All Asuka felt was a muzzy, almost numb sense of curiosity about the shadowed figure in the striped shirt that sat across from her. "Who are...?"

"Asuka Langley Soryu," the figure said.

Was that an answer, or an address? "That's me," Asuka replied, vaguely puzzled.

"I am you," the little girl answered. "One has another self within the self. The 'self' has always consisted of two selves."

"Two?"

"The self who is actually watched by others, and the self which watches itself. The Asuka Langley Soryu in Shinji Ikari's mind, the Asuka Langley Soryu in Misato Katsuragi's mind, the Asuka Langley Soryu in Hikari Horaki's mind, the Asuka Langley Soryu in Rei Ayanami's mind, all are different from the others, but each is a true Asuka Langley Soryu. You're afraid of the Asuka Langley Soryu in others' minds," said the figure.

"I'm afraid of being abandoned," Asuka said.

"You hate being hurt. You are afraid of being discarded as worthless. Are you afraid you have no value?"

"I am an elite Eva Pilot! I am the best, Number One!" Asuka protested. "I am valued!"

"You fear you are only of worth because you are a Pilot?"

"Shinji values me! More than anyone! Just because of who I am! He likes me! He... loves me?" Asuka stopped and considered the thought. It made her heart beat faster, a little afraid, but she wanted to know the answer. "And... and... Misato and Hikari value me too!"

"Is it enough to be valued by others, if you do not value yourself?"

"It always has been," Asuka said. "Everyone does it. People live by doing so."

"But if you believe yourself to be worthless at heart, dont' you fear they will come to share that belief and discard you anyway?"

"He won't! He promised! I believe in him! He's just like me!" Asuka cried. "We are together!"

"He is just like you. Does he believe he is worthless too?"

"Yes... but he's wrong. He has protected me and others. He holds me and makes me happy. He makes me better. When we are together, I don't feel lonely anymore. I will not leave him."

The figure seemed more curious. "Being with him, the other who values you for who you are, ends the loneliness?"

"Yes. That's something I've wanted all my life. And he does it. He needs me too, just like I need him. We make each other whole."

"But still you have held back. You have been afraid of that last step. Do you regret that now?"

Asuka thought about it. "I have been afraid... but I know he was too. We've been afraid of hurting each other, and of being hurt. But... I trust him. I've never trusted anyone like this. But... I want to. I want him to be with me completely. So no matter what happens in the future, I'll know there will be at least one person who mourns my memory when I'm gone."

"Well... that's good for you."

.

_'Your fault... What good are you? Useless. Worthless. She was begging you, and you let her go...'_ "No! I didn't! I tried to hold on!" _'You said you'd show her how to do it. So arrogant. She charged in to stay ahead of you. You got her killed.'_ "She's not dead! She! Is! Not! _Dead_! We'll get her back! We will!" He gripped the control yokes of Unit-01 until his hands shook. "We have to..."

"Shinji?" Misato's voice broke in on the private fight between his guilt and despair against his desperate hope. "Get ready. The bombers are on their way. We're five minutes from the mark."

"Misato-san... I don't like this plan. How... how can we be sure Asuka can even survive the blast?"

Misato avoided his eyes. "Her batteries will be all but drained by now, Shinji. We have to try something before it's too late, or there'll be no hope at all."

_'She didn't answer my question.'_ "Misato-san..."

"I know, Shinji. I don't like it either. But we don't have any other options. Four minutes."

_'Like Hell we don't. I'll find one. I'll make one if I have to. If I have to tear this Angel to pieces myself, I will.'_ Shinji set his jaw. _'What good is being an Eva Pilot if I can't protect someone I care about? Doctor Akagi said Asuka is still inside the Angel, somewhere... I have this power... I'm going to use it. Anything I have to...'_

He was more than ready. He had four minutes to make this work. He pushed his will against the Eva and felt its AT-Field unfold, pressing against the Angel's. He felt the resistance as soon as he made contact. He gathered all his will, his rage, his _need_ to see Asuka again... and struck.

.

Evangelion Unit-01 threw back its head and _**roared**_.

.

In the command truck, Maya blinked in surprise at her readouts. "Shinji... Shinji's already deploying his AT-Field! It's... the readings are stronger than we've ever seen from Unit-01. His Synch Score just hit 81%!"

Doctor Akagi narrowed her eyes at the screens. The Angel's AT-Field was reacting, rippling like Shinji was hitting a sheet of metal over and over again with a sledgehammer. "He's too early! This won't do anything!"

Misato grabbed up the comm headset she'd just put down. "Shinji, what the Hell are you doing?!" she demanded.

.

"Give! HER! **BACK!**"

.

Asuka pried her eyes open again. It was getting harder each time. The LCL was now too murky for her to see the far end of the Entry Plug, and getting very cold. She huddled in the seat, trying to stay warm. The faint red light on her plugsuit's wrist showing the time left on the life support battery pulsed one last time and faded out. She watched it die, and tried not to whimper.

"So that's it? I hate this place. I don't want to be alone. Want my Shinji. Need Shinji. He promised. I don't want to die... Misato...Shinji, I'm sorry. I should have... promised... you..."

She coughed weakly. "Mama... help me..." Her eyes sank closed again. "...elp me..."

She felt a warm hand cradle her face. A familiar presence wrapped itself around her. As her consciousness faded out, she thought she heard a voice saying her name.

Outside, four green lights suddenly burst to life in the emptiness.

.

**"GIVE! ****HER! ****BACK!****"**

The Angel's AT-Field was heaving like a sea in full gale now. All the instruments in the command truck were reporting impossible highs and lows, sometimes simultaneously. The floating sphere began to shake and emit strange noises.

"What the Hell is he _doing_?" shouted Doctor Akagi.

**"AYANAMI! HELP ME!"** Shinji screamed.

On the comm display screen, Misato saw the Fist Child freeze in indecision. She had been ordered to wait, and Misato had never seen her disobey an order. But her concern for Shinji was visible enough on her face that Misato could even see it through Rei's usual blankness. _'What the Hell, whatever Shinji's up to, it can't be worse than Ritsuko's 'Nuke Everything' plan.'_ She keyed her handset. "Rei, do it! Assist Unit-01!" she ordered.

Doctor Akagi snapped her look around to Misato. "What?! No!"

"N2 Mine drop in ninety seconds!" Lieutenant Aoba announced.

An expression almost like relief flickered across Rei's face. "Roger, deploying AT-Field."

The addition of Unit-00's AT-Field increased the shaking of the hovering sphere. Suddenly, the black shadow on the ground shattered, erupting into jagged shards like it was a sheet of glass that had been abruptly dropped on the floor. The breaks were all lined in red the color of fresh blood.

The sphere stopped shaking, and one side began to bulge outward as something pushed from inside. A line of red appeared at the peak of the bulge, breaking into an open split. A huge red hand, its fingers curled into claws, tore its way out of the gap. A second hand grabbed the edge of the split and tore it open wider. A demonic head, four green eyes blazing like small stars, emerged next. Unit-01's continuing roar was joined by the bloody howl of the newcomer.

The red giant tore the hole wider still, and the sphere gave out, shredding into bloody chunks. Gory bits of Angelic flesh rained down everywhere as the huge titan landed on the ground once again, dripping with the blood of its kill.

Unit-02 was back.

A distant part of Shinji's mind noted he probably should be shocked and disturbed by the hunched, bestial posture of Unit-02, or the low, animalistic growling still coming from both the red Eva and his own. That part was truly distant right now, however. The rest of him was consumed by towering joy. "_She's back!_" he shouted.

In the command truck, Doctor Akagi listened to the exultant roars of the god-machines, and shivered. "What... what kind of creature did we copy from?" she whispered fearfully.

Misato narrowed her eyes at her friend. _'I understand that EVA isn't just a copy of the First Angel, but how is NERV going to use the EVAs after it defeats every Angel?'_

Outside, with blood raining down from the dying Angel, Unit-01 threw its fists into the air and roared in triumph. And Unit-02 answered it.

.

Misato barely waited for the support crewman to hose the hatch of the Entry Plug clean before pushing him aside and opening it herself. She threw the hatch open and thrust her head and shoulders inside. "Asuka?! Asuka, are you alright?!"

The faintest glitter of blue eyes peered back at her from the young girl slumped in the control seat. "Misato?"

Asuka's eyes opened a fraction more as her Operations Director suddenly threw her arms around her and began to cry in relief. _'I... she does care about me?'_ It wasn't as nice as one of Shinji's hugs, but still felt very nice. _'Thinking of which...'_

Over Misato's shoulder, looking almost as tired as she felt, was the Third Child. Shinji. Her Shinji. No one else could see his face from where he stood, so he was smiling at her. Right now, he'd never looked better to Asuka. "I just... wanted to see you again," she murmured, letting Misato assume it was for her. The way Shinji's smile widened a bit let her know he'd heard her and understood who it was meant for.

Even more surprisingly, the First Child was standing just a little behind Shinji. "You are supposed to chide her and Ikari-kun for their lack of discipline now, are you not, Major Katsuragi?" she asked quietly.

Misato finally released her hug on Asuka and looked back at Rei. She laughed, wiping at her cheeks. "Yeah, I did promise that, didn't I?" She turned back to Asuka. "Once you're out of the doc's, I'm going to give you both such a talking to, but right now I'm just happy you're alive."

Asuka nodded tiredly, and decided now was a good time to pass out.

.

She came back to the land of the waking in a bed. The scent of antiseptics and the beeps of medical monitoring gear let her know she was in the Geofront hospital even before she pried her eyes open. Once she did, she smiled tiredly to see Shinji slumped in a chair next to her bed, drooling slightly on his collar as he slept. She blinked in surprise to see Rei Ayanami sitting right next to him, reading a small book.

Rei looked up at the motion of Asuka's head. "PIlot Soryu. I am pleased to see you are alright."

"Wondergirl? What are you..." _'Er, edit, edit...'_ "Both doing here?"

Rei nodded her head at the sleeping Third Child. "Ikari-kun said 'She shouldn't have to wake up alone. None of us should ever have to feel alone again", so we stayed to greet you when you awoke," she said softly. "Ikari-kun fell asleep soon after we got here. He had not slept since you vanished."

Asuka struggled to keep her face blank as she looked at the sleeping Pilot. "Baka," she whispered.

"I am glad to see you back alive and unharmed, Pilot Soryu. Ikari-kun was extremely distressed at your absence. He was very upset by his failure to rescue you last night. He said we should all protect each other, because we are important to each other. I think he is right." She looked at Shinji. "He has protected me many times. I have protected him. He has protected you. Next time, will it be you for me, or me for you?" Rei stood up and walked to the door.

Asuka was stunned. "You... we don't exactly get along, Wondergirl. You'd still do that? Risk your life for me?"

Rei paused at the door and nodded over her shoulder. "Yes. Ikari-kun says this is important, and ... I trust him when he says that. And... you are important to him. His happiness is important to me. So I will protect you as well. I will see you at school tomorrow. Goodnight." She opened the door and left, quiet as a ghost.

_'Did... did Wondergirl really mean all that? She sure sounded like she did.'_ Asuka shook her head gently. _'Not such a doll as I thought, maybe?'_ She looked at Shinji. She glanced at the obvious camera in the corner of the room, bitterly regretting that she couldn't just wake him up and tell him to cuddle in with her. Right now, she wanted to feel him snuggled up against her almost more than she wanted to keep breathing. She flopped back on the bed, but smiled at him. "Baka. Diving in after me again. And I didn't wake up cold and alone. Just like he promised."

Shinji stirred, waking. He blinked sleepily, then burst into a smile that made Asuka's heart flutter when he focused on her and saw she was awake. "Asuka!" He grabbed her hand.

She growled "Hands _off,_baka-Shinji!"

He froze like a deer in the headlights. She winked the eye away from the camera and flicked her eyes that way. He got it, letting go of her hand and pulling back with a stammered apology.

"Don't you put your hands on me without asking, baka-Shinji! I'm a delicate flower! Humph!" she grumbled with as much of her usual aggression as she could muster. "And you better not have been slacking off on your cooking for me!"

Shinji blinked, confused. "Asuka?"

"I said, I want to know what you're making me for my dinner, baka-Shinji!" She made damn sure her face was away from the camera before giving him another, slower wink. "I'm _really_'hungry'. How soon can I get out of here and we go home?

Shinji blinked again... and then blushed.

.

Misato had been caught up in the massive clean-up of the shredded remains of the Angel and the damage its bizarre shadow had done to Tokyo-3. She promised she'd chew them out later, but the fond smile she'd given them when she said it made Asuka feel better than most praise she got. She'd told them to head on home with a Section 2 car to drop them off.

Home. Her room had never felt so welcoming as now. Especially as she took in the best part; her baka-Shinji, lying right next to her. She'd dived into a brief shower to wash away the lingering smell of rotted LCL and blood that still clung to her while Shinji made a quick meal for them both. In less time than anyone would have thought, Asuka was clean, fed, and comfortably burrowed into Shinji's arms in her... _their_ bed.

_'Not alone. Home. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to stay.'_Asuka ighed. This was the perfect antithesis of the cold and isolation she'd spent yesterday in. She shivered at the memory, then buried it with the wave of contentment she felt right now. Slightly blurry memories of things she'd thought in there, like half-remembered dreams, floated to the surface. There was something she'd wanted to say, something she'd wanted to do...

"Shinji?"

"Mmm?"

"This is nice."

"Mmhmm."

"I... really missed this, in there. It was the opposite of this; cold, lonely, lost... I hated it. But... thinking of you helped, because it reminded me I wasn't alone. I don't even want to think what it would have been like without that, if I didn't have memories like this to hold on to." She squeezed him. "But it made me think... what if I couldn't get out? What if that was it? I know it's only been a few days since we... admitted we like each other, but we can both feel how strong it is. When I'm with you, I don't feel alone anymore. We've both been... holding back a little, because we're afraid of getting hurt, but... I don't want to hold back anymore."

She could feel his heartbeat speeding up to match hers. "Asuka?" he asked hesitantly. "I... don't want to either. I... I was going a little crazy, thinking I might have lost you... or that it was my fault. If you hadn't come back... I..."

"I know. You're just like me. I know how I'd have felt." She swallowed, gathering her nerve. "Shinji, I... really like you."

"I really like you too, Asuka."

"And I decided, in there, that... I trust you. I know you won't hurt me. And I don't want to have any regrets in the next battle about things I could have done but didn't. So... I want you to be mine. Completely."

"Asuka, what do you-"

"And I want to be yours."

"I don't-" Shinji froze. His eyes went wide. "Asuka... do you mean...?"

She nodded.

Shinji gulped. "I... I... Asuka... um... what about... before, you said..."

"I don't care about protection, not right now. I could have died in there, more alone than anyone has ever been. You're already closer to me than anyone else has ever been. I want every bond between us we can have. You gave me strength in there. I want you, Shinji. All of you. Tonight." She brought her hand up to stroke his face. "We're alive, together, and... in love. I love you, Shinji. I want to be yours."

She was unsurprised to see tears starting to flow down his face. Only her vow to herself at her mother's graveside stopped her from joining in. But tonight... maybe it was alright to do it. For him.

"I... I love you too," he whispered hoarsely. "I... couldn't have stood it, losing you. Yes, I am yours, always." He buried his face in her hair and just held on to her. Suddenly he stiffened in shock. "Er..."

Asuka wiped her cheeks dry. His tears, must have been. She raised an eyebrow as he pulled back far enough to see her face. He was blushing. "'Er'? Yes?"

"Um... after that first night, when you mentioned protection, I... found one of those machines at lunch, and... um... bought a couple. They're in my room."

Asuka blinked. "You..." She laughed. "You, baka-Shinji, the world's least optimistic Eva Pilot, felt so good about your chances with me you went right out and got all ready for it? The very next day? More than one?" She laughed some more. "Oooh, my pervy baka-Shinji! You _are_ just like me!" She pulled him into a wild kiss. "Mine!"

.

Asuka stared at the moon out the tiny window of her room. Wow. She'd never felt so... relaxed. Shinji's slow, even breathing behind her was the most soothing sound in the world. _'I... may owe Misato an apology. I had no idea it felt this good. I might be a bigger perv than she is.'_

A tiny thought intruded on her peace; a last fragmentary memory of the Dirac Sea. Just before she faded out... _'Did... I thought I heard my mother? Was I just hallucinating? And my batteries were drained, totally. How did I get Unit-02 to do all that? When Misato told me what had happened, she had to show me the footage to prove it. Why don't I remember any of it? What really happened in there?'_

She gave a mental shrug. She wouldn't get any answers tonight. And she could talk to Shinji tomorrow. She _would_ talk to Shinji tomorrow. She rolled over to look at him. Hers. The one who could understand. Having someone so close she knew she could tell him everything and know he'd believe her was... it made her feel as good as everything they'd just done. She curled herself around him and let herself drift to sleep. _'Mine.'_

_._

_._

Canon is officially out the window, Shinji and Asuka have truly come together, and the ripples from that will change everything. Now they have to somehow hide the fact they are happier than they've ever been from everyone, lest that happiness be taken from them. And not go nuts in the process.

Next time on 'Advice and Trust': School Days, Maskirovka, and Other Combat Scenarios

And of course, there'll be more _fanservice!_

/Misato voice

Author's Note: Going to be a slightly longer gap between this chapter and the next, as I now need to plot out some of the ripples and how they affect key players who have yet to appear, especially a certain someone's father.

I'm talking, of course, about Mr. Horaki. Who did you think I meant? :P

Many thanks to Stargrave for letting me bounce ideas off them that helped me get this far, and to Daeleniel-Shadowphyre, my RL bride and beta.

Keep the reviews coming, everyone. They're what made me take this from a WAFFy one-shot to a possible re-write of the whole thing all the way to the end. I've already got an end mostly figured out, and I don't think anyone will see it coming. :)


	6. Ch 5 - Before The Storm Pt 1

Chapter 4

Before The Storm

Shinji felt like dancing. So he did.

He hummed happily to himself, tripping lightly around the apartment's small kitchen as he prepared everyone's breakfasts, plus lunches for himself and Asuka. _'I wish I had time to play a little before we leave for school. I've never felt so... this.'_ He closed his eyes for a second and replayed the memory again, of the words he never thought he'd hear, _especially _from her.

_'I love you, Shinji. I want to be yours.'_

He forced back yet another round of joyful tears. He'd already done that twice this morning.  
>He'd never felt like this. He wasn't alone. She loved him <em>back<em>!

He started humming _Ode to Joy_ a little louder. Today was going to be wonderful. He felt like the whole world was new. He spun around again, exuberantly flipping Pen Pen's fish up out of the frying pan as he went.

Misato clapped lightly in approval. "Not bad, Shin-chan! Impressive!"

_'OhholyshitMisatowhendidshegetthere?!'_ "AAAAA!" he yelped. Pen Pen's fish missed his suddenly disrupted attempt at a catch, but managed to land right in the penguin's bowl on the floor. Pen Pen didn't seem to mind the sudden delivery and dove right in.

"And you hit his bowl too! Good aim!" Misato continued cheerfully. His still sleep-rumpled guardian scratched idly at her stomach as she walked into the dining area and took a seat at the table. "Good morning," she yawned.

"Misato-san! Um, good morning!" Shinji tried to get his heart rate back down. _'Did she see-'_

"Feeling pretty good this morning, Shin-chan?" Misato's expression turned sly. "Really? Singing and dancing around the kitchen at this hour? If you don't cool your jets, Asuka's going to wake up and see you, and I bet she'll guess why~..." she teased with a wink.

_'Oh shit, she knows she knows she knows...'_

"I mean, you might as well tell her you're happy she's back, Shin-chan. What's the worst that could happen? She'll call you a baka again? Maybe this time your sweet words will sweep her off her feet, and she'll suddenly confess how cute she finds you!" Misato chuckled.

"Please don't tell anyone I was doing this, Misato-san!" Shinji said, panicked. "I... I don't want her to..." _'Move out? Leave? Ever be away again? Nope, can't say any of those...'_

Misato gave him a calming wave. "Easy, Shinji-kun. I won't tell her. But you don't want her to know you like her? I can tell you do." She grinned at him.

"I... I like things the way they are right now," he managed to stutter.

"Alright, but remember, nothing will change unless you take that first step forward! But seriously, Shinji, I can tell you're happy about it. I bet Asuka is happy to be back here too, though she may not say so to you. You won't have to duck her yelling at you at school today, anyway."

Shinji locked his knees to keep from collapsing in relief. _'Oh gods, we're safe. She doesn't know.'_ "Um, why not?"

"You'll be going to school alone, I'm afraid. Asuka has to come in to NERV with me for a full day of debriefs and checks. The data recorders in Unit Zero-Two were a low-priority system, so they died after just a few hours into that as the batteries ran down. So she'll need to fill us in the old fashioned way about what she saw inside that Angel, and anything she can tell us about why Unit Zero-Two was acting like it did when she returned."

Shinji smothered the disappointed look that wanted to wash across his face. Not seeing her all day? But... It wasn't just the not being close to her. She'd mentioned before he fell asleep that she wanted to talk with him about what she'd seen, something strange right before she'd passed out. She'd been pretty intent about it. Something about... her mother's voice? They'd been planning to talk about it at lunch, if they could find a place they wouldn't be seen by their friends having a close, perfectly civil conversation. That would blow their 'cover'.

"So... will you be back in time for dinner?" he asked tentatively. "I'd like to make a nice 'welcome home' meal, at least."

Misato laughed again. "Yes, we'll be back in time for that. Going to make a feast for your sweetie, hmm?"

"Misato..." he whined, blushing. '_My sweetie, my girlfriend, my __**lover**__ oh holy crap oh gods she loves me she loves me she loves me!_' He blushed harder.

Misato, fortunately, misinterpreted his nearly incandescent flush. "Aww, did I blow your mind with that one, Shin-chan? Can't handle that idea yet? I'll let you off this time, but you should tell her someday, you know."

"Yes, Misato-san." '_Every day from now on, I will._'

.

"Yo, Shin-man. What are you lookin' so happy about?"

Shinji blinked back to the present. He'd been miles away, reliving the memory again. "I'm sorry?" he asked Touji.

"You're just staring into space and smiling all funny. What's up? You're usually not so spaced out, man," his friend asked.

"I'm sorry. Um... We... we beat that Angel yesterday, and everyone is safe. I'm happy about that." _'And she loves me. I still can't believe it._'

"Yeah, we saw a whole bunch of weapon buildings were just _gone_ downtown this morning!" Kensuke put in eagerly. "That must have been some fight! Tell us everything, Shinji!"

'_Asuka almost died because I messed up, I nearly went crazy because of that, and then the Evas went rabid..._' "Um... I'm not supposed to talk about it. But Asuka almost got hurt, and I'm really glad she's okay."

Touji snorted. "So the Red Demon's okay, great, the devil's probably too scared to take her to Hell or she'll take over the place," he mocked. "But some on, Shin-man, that doesn't explain why you're acting all goofy. Wait... She almost got hurt?" An evil grin spread across the jock's face. "You got to see her in one of those short hospital gowns, didn't ya?" He whistled. "Man, she may have the friendly personality of a porcupine, but mmmm does she have nice legs! So what'd ya see, man?"

"Touji! It wasn't anything like that!" Shinji tried to stop reddening. '_Oh, I saw more than her legs!_'

Touji smiled wider. "Ah ha! You look like a tomato! So you did see something! Tell us!"

"I did not peep on Asuka in a hospital gown!"

"Well you must have seen something that's got you all smiling and blushing!" Touji pressed. "Didya see her in just a towel after a shower or somethin'? Man, you musta seen somethin'! You're so lucky, living with a hot babe like Misato and one of the hottest girls in school, even if she is a demon."

"I'm going to tell her you said that," Shinji muttered. "And Horaki-san."

Touji blinked at the sudden riposte. "Er... yeah, um, like, why would I care if you tell the Class Rep?" he said nervously. "O-or the Red Demon?"

"Soryu might kill you on general principles for even looking at her, dude," Kensuke said. "And the Class Rep... well, come on." He rolled his eyes at Touji.

Touji launched into another loud declaration of how he didn't have anything to do with the 'pigtailed dictator', and Shinji sighed in relief. Saved, for now. He tried to suppress the smile that wanted to grow again. '_She loves me. There's someone who wants me to hold them. I'll see her after school._' The smile won.

.

"How long is this going to take, doc?" Asuka grumbled. She made herself sit still. For the first time in years, the walls of the Test Plug felt uncomfortably confining. "I think I've spent enough time in Entry Plugs the last twenty-four hours to last me all week."

Doctor Akagi just stared at the readouts in the observation room. "Just a few more hours, Asuka. Then we can get on to the neuro-physical exam and the debriefing."

"A few more _hours_? And then more crap?" Asuka complained.

"You spent sixteen hours inside an Angel yesterday, Asuka. This is a unique event, and we want to make sure there was no mental contamination or other effects."

"Mental contamination?" Asuka asked, worry rising.

"Your readings were all over the map when you... broke out of the Angel." The lab-coated woman paused like she wanted to say something else. "We want to be sure it didn't affect you negatively. Now go through exercise eight again, from step three."

.

"No."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Asuka, you had a four point rise in Synch Rate in the last test over your baseline from the week before. Four points and _steady_. Shinji-kun had a _six_ point rise. And you and he both spiked higher than that against the Angel. He hit eighty-three percent at peak, and you had..." Doctor Akagi shuffled her notes. "The monitors recorded up to one hundred and eight-seven percent for you, but that can't be right. You did have an average five points higher than your norm for what parts of the readings we can rely on. Rei has gone up only one point three percent in the last four months, no matter what we do to the equipment. So whatever it is that you and Shinji have had happen from the synchronization training you did or from living together, we need to see if we can get it to work for Rei as well. So yes, we are _ordering_ her to spend all her time with you and the Third Child. And you will follow that order. She will stay with you and Shinji on the way to school, at school, and as much time after school as possible, plus weekends, all of it." She fixed Asuka with an implacable stare.

Asuka sent one right back. "I am not spending all of my miniscule free time with fricking _Wondergirl_."

"Until we can get the same sort of Synch Rate boost that you two are showing, yes, you are. Commander Ikari has already confirmed my proposal. You think you're going to go argue with him?" the Project E head bluntly replied. She put the notes down and picked up an alcohol wipe and syringe. "Now stick out your arm so I can get a blood sample. This physical is the last step before the debriefing."

Asuka ground her teeth. '_Fucking __**great**__! Shinji and I finally go all the way __**once**__, and now we're going to get cockblocked every waking minute by __**Wondergirl**__?! How the Hell are we supposed to find time to be together? Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! At least this isn't a full physical. Even doctor dye-job here would notice I'm suddenly missing a little something since last check! Hmm, on that thought..._' "Fine! And you're a doctor, so can I get some damn medicine, then?"

Doctor Akagi drew the blood sample and wiped away the tiny bead of blood left behind when she withdrew the needle. "What do you need, Asuka? You're not ill, as far as I can tell."

"I have really bad cramps and stuff every time I get my period. I want you to get me on the Pill so I can smooth that out. I'm tired of feeling like I've been punched in the ovaries every month." _Plus, Shinji's only got two condoms left and I don't like leaving physical evidence for Misato to find anyway.'_

The blond scientist sighed. "Fine, we can get you a contraceptive implant. That will totally block your periods for about a year. It's what I use. Now come on. Major Katsuragi is waiting for us in the briefing theater to go other the battle with us."

.

"...and then you opened the hatch. I don't really remember the landing or anything. It's all pretty blurry towards the end, anyway," Asuka finished. She stared at the still image of Unit-02 standing amid the shredded bits of the Angel, covered in blood. It truly looked like a demon.

Misato looked at her notes and frowned. Asuka's memories were pretty fuzzy towards the last part of her imprisonment in the Angel, after the batteries for the recorders had died. Unfortunately, that was exactly the part they had the most questions about, especially how Unit-02 had been so violently active after it should have been effectively out of power entirely. Asuka had confessed to vague memories of talking to herself, but said she couldn't really recall what she'd said.

Asuka tried not to squirm when Misato looked at her. She could tell Misato thought her statements about not remembering what had been said weren't entirely forthcoming. Misato had too much time as Asuka's guardian and roommate in the past to be fully fooled by her poker face. _'I really, really hope she doesn't press on that. Telling her it was mostly little me asking about Shinji and I, and what we believe about each other isn't the kind of thing I want to see put down in an official NERV report where everyone can see it.'_

She concentrated on looking tired and annoyed, which wasn't hard. Despite the fantastic night with Shinji, she still felt wrung out and unsettled from yesterday, and really wanted some downtime. Preferably _with_ Shinji. Not just for getting him horizontal again; she really needed to talk to him. She'd withheld mentioning anything about possibly hearing her mother's voice. That felt... private. Personal. To be shared only with those she truly trusted. And as much as she might trust _Misato_, she wasn't sure she could trust Major Katsuragi to keep something like this from her chain of command.

But Shinji... She knew he would understand why she'd held this piece back. They'd promised they'd share their stories of losing their mothers tonight. The prospect of finally sharing that story with anyone still frightened Asuka, but... with Shinji it somehow didn't feel as bad. And if she was going to share that tale, she was damn well going to do it while holding him close enough she could feel his heartbeat and... catch the tears she knew she wouldn't be able to restrain. She hadn't let her self cry in ten years, not since she made that promise at her mother's graveside. But now... Shinji wouldn't tell. It was safe to tell him things like that. _'Gott... I really do love him, if I can think like that.'_

"Asuka, pay attention!" Misato snapped, breaking her wandering thoughts.

"Sorry, I... I'm a little tired." _'Great, now I sound like him, too.'_ "You were saying?"

Misato pressed her lips together. "The Human Instrumentality Committee, the UN body that oversees NERV, wants to interview you about this attack. I tried to put them off by telling them you were not in shape for it, but they're insistent. I've told them to keep it short."

Asuka widened her eyes a little. "When?"

"Right now. They're waiting for us in the teleconference room upstairs. Come on."

.

"Pilot Soryu, in this incident, do you believe what you experienced was the Angel trying to contact a human being?" The Committee member's voice, whiny and nasal with a noticeable French accent to his Japanese, queried at her like she was a curious new species of bug on his plate.

Asuka kept her face as mask-like as possible. She and Misato stood in the center of a beam of light from overhead in an empty holographic-capable conference room. She couldn't even see their interrogators in the dark, just hear their voices, but they all sounded ancient. These old men gave her the serious creeps , and she hated people poking their noses into her business as it was. She would almost have preferred she was still wearing her plugsuit rather than the school uniform Doctor Akagi had let her change into to make the physical easier. At least then her familiar identity as a Pilot could have felt like armor against these weird old men. "I don't think so, sir. When it swallowed Unit-02 it seemed more like its basic attack. I saw nothing at all inside until the life support was failing. I believe what I saw was just my brain suffering under the failing environmental conditions, not any outside attempt at contact."

"If, and only if, you are remembering it correctly," another member said.

"No external tampering with her memory was detected, according to Doctor Akagi's examination and tests," Misato said firmly.

"Unit-02's AC recorder was not functioning, so there's no way to confirm that," a third member pointed out. "Explain what you recall, Pilot."

Asuka hesitated, trying to conduct a rapid mental edit. "I... it was like I had eaten too much spicy food and fallen asleep reading Satre or something. Just a weird conversation with myself about... the self, and loneliness. It didn't make much sense."

"Was the Angel interested in the human spirit? The human mind?" the first questioner asked.

"We cannot answer that question," Misato said. "Do the Angels even have a concept of 'mind'? Do they understand human thoughts? These are utterly unknown."

A fourth voice spoke up. "This incident reveals a new aspect; that the Angel tried to take an Eva into itself. What of the possibility of this aspect of this aspect being a factor in the predicted 13th Angel, and all Angels to follow?"

Misato gave a slight shake of her head. "Considering the pattern so far, there is no sign of any systematic organization among the Angels.

"That's right," the second voice said. "It is obvious they have all acted independently so far."

Misato narrowed her eyes and turned towards the voice. "What does that mean?"

"You are not permitted to ask questions here," stated a much older, colder voice. Asuka did her best to conceal a shiver. This voice was harsh, dry, deep, and put Asuka in mind of dead leaves scratching and rattling around a graveyard. It also ordered Misato to silence without any sense that it could even possibly be disobeyed.

Misato did not appear to react beyond a flat "Understood."

"That is all," the same voice grated. "Leave us."

"Sir." Misato tapped Asuka on the shoulder, executed a parade-ground perfect about-face, and led the way to the door.

"What do you think, Ikari-kun?" the cold voice rumbled in the darkness.

Illumination snapped on to reveal Commander Ikari sitting near the head of the table. "The Angels are getting more and more intelligent. There is not much time left..."

"Left for us, you mean?"

.

"I'm home..." came a tired voice from the front door.

Asuka sprang up off the couch like she'd been fired from a cannon. "Welcome back!" she said loudly as she shot across the dining area and crashed into Shinji as he emerged from the entrance hallway.

"Oof! Shinji barely had time to drop his book bag and open his arms to receive her. His smile said he didn't mind at all. The intense kiss that followed confirmed it. "I guess this means Misato-san isn't home?" he whispered when they finally pulled back. He still craned his neck to look behind Asuka, searching for their guardian.

"Yeah, she went to go get us 'victory pizza' in celebration for beating the Angel. I'd rather have your cooking, but it buys us twenty minutes alone," Asuka grinned before going in for another kiss. "And after an entire day of being poked and interrogated by Doctor Akagi and her Igor, I can really use the cuddles to wash that away. What took you so long to get home? I thought you'd be here before we were!"

Shinji shrugged. "Hibiki-san was absent again, so the Class Rep asked me to help Tanaka-san with the after school clean up." He squirmed awkwardly. "Tanaka-san... asked me to eat lunch with her tomorrow 'to thank me'."

Asuka growled. "And? You told her no, like all the others, right?"

"Er..." He suddenly couldn't meet her eyes.

"Shinji!"

"She wouldn't take no for an answer! I panicked!"

"Well, she's going to be in for a surprise when I come along! It's a good thing I trust you, baka." She freed one hand to flick him in the forehead. Her embrace on him hadn't wavered in the slightest, however. "You're mine."

"Um... how are we going to explain that? You coming along? She's going to notice, er, you staking a claim like that. I thought we couldn't let anyone suspect we're... we're..."

"Together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Lovers. All that," Asuka said flatly. She then burst into a huge smile. "Yeah, it's been going through my head all day, too." Her smile faded away. "And explaining me will be easy. Wondergirl will be there, too."

"Ayanami? Why? She always eats alone."

Asuka sighed. "You're going to love this..." She quickly explained Doctor Akagi's decision, and that it was backed by his father's endorsement. "So we're going to have the First trailing us around like a shadow until we somehow figure out how to boost her Synch Rate up the way ours have lately. And I _don't _think our method is going to work on her." She leaned back in to nibble and suck at his throat by way of demonstration.

"I-eeeee! Well, ahhhh oooh... we could invite her here and we all couldOW!" Shinji's keen of pleasure abruptly turned into a yowl of pain as Asuka's gentle nibbling suddenly became a bite.

She pulled back and gave him a flat glare. "Pervert. I could _hear_ you thinking it. You are _not_ getting an 'Israfel Special' with me and her!"

Shinji blushed furiously. "I _wasn't_ thinking it! But now it's stuck in my head, thanks!" He pulled her back in for another kiss, to which she offered only token resistance. "But it wasn't um... _that_ that caused our Synch Rates to go up, remember? It was..." He laid his head on her shoulder and just held her. "It was _this_. Just... opening up to each other. So we just need to teach Ayanami how to open up too."

Asuka let herself enjoy the embrace for a moment before pulling back again to give Shinji a raised eyebrow. "Fine, whatever it takes to get her off our tail so we can have privacy again. How?"

"I have no fucking idea."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Dummkopf. Fine. She's supposed to show up here to join us on the walk to school in the morning, and Misato's going to be back soon. So let's make the best use of the last twenty minutes of alone time you and I are going to see outside of our bed for a while." She pulled him over to the couch in the living room and pushed him down onto it. He flopped back to lie flat along its length.

"Outside of bed?" Shinji asked, sighing happily as Asuka lowered herself down to lie on top of him. His arms automatically wrapped around her back and held her against him.

"Wondergirl goes back to wherever she lives after dinner each night, according to this stupid plan of Doctor Akagi's. After lights-out it's just you and me, and Wondergirl or no Wondergirl, from now on you are not allowed to let anything in the world keep you from my... _our_ bed at night, understand? You promised."

"Jawhol, mein Schatz."

"I'm so glad I started teaching you proper German." Asuka grinned impishly. "Also, we've still got two condoms to use up. After that, I'm finally going to get something _useful_ out of Doctor Dye-Job; a contraceptive implant."

Shinji blushed again at the reminder of what they'd shared last night. "Um... yeah... I... I was thinking about it all day too, Asuka. Even Touji and Kensuke noticed I was acting all smiley." He hugged her tighter. "Being with you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Even if we weren't doing... _that_, I'd still be so happy. Doing that just makes it even better."

"Good, because we're not stopping. I've decided I like it. Now, you've got about seventeen more minutes to make me happy too, so let's not waste time." She kissed him again. "Mmm... and tonight, we're talking. I think I saw something... in that non-place I was stuck..."

"What?"

_'I think I saw my mother...'_ "I'll tell you later. I don't want to kill the mood right now." She lowered her lips to his.

.

Shinji tied his shoes automatically, his thoughts lost to chewing on last night's talk. _'Her mother? Was that real? She doesn't remember anything that happened while her Eva was berserking, just like me against Sachiel. I don't remember hearing my mother, though. So what does it mean?'_

They quietly told each other their stories last night. Shinji was glad they had done it, even with all the tears it had summoned. He felt closer to Asuka than ever, knowing their shared traumas were so similar. Suspiciously so, noted Asuka, once they'd managed to stem their tears. Twice could be a coincidence, maybe. But what if it was all three Evas? They'd agreed to find out about Rei's mother and see if it was true. _'And if it is, what does that mean?' _Shinji thought. _'Are the Evas powered by human sacrifice or something? They __**bleed**__, and the battle footage showed Unit-01 and 02 growling and roaring at each other more like animals than giant robots. What __**are**__ Evas?'_

He felt a small, warm hand take his as he stood up. He was smiling even before he turned around to meet Asuka's eyes right behind him. He was glad Misato couldn't see them at the door from where she sat at the dinner table.

"Last chance before bedtime, Third Child. Make it count," she said, making sure her voice was pitched too low to carry back to Misato.

He nodded and kissed her softly. "I love you," he whispered back.

She grinned back. "Love you too. Now, game face on, baka. Look mopey. We're going to have to fool Wondergirl all day long, so don't be surprised when I yell at you." Her face shifted to a faux-cheery mask. Just a few days of being open to each other, and already Shinji could see the difference. It made him feel good, that she let only him see the real her. She reached over with her free hand and pressed the door-open button. "We're going, Misato!" she called over her shoulder.

"Have fun!" their guardian called after them.

.

Shinji kept his eyes on his lunch. The bento would not hurt him. Unless Asuka used it to hit him over the head. He didn't think she'd be intentionally swinging at him, no, but her flailing about with it in frustrated fury seemed more and more likely. He could feel her frustration building as she sat immediately to his right, like a pot getting closer to boiling over.

They'd met up with Rei at the foot of their apartment building. The walk to school had been nearly silent, like most days. Unlike the last few days, he and Asuka hadn't been able to surreptitiously hold hands for most of the way, something he was already missing. His hand had twitched frequently on the way there, and he'd had to stop himself from just taking her hand more than once, seeking that reassuring contact. The mere fact Asuka would let him do that, and even smile at him as he did, had been a source of much happiness for him over the last few days. Now it was something they had to hide like the rest of their tentative new relationship...

He hadn't entirely been able to stop himself. At one point when Rei's metronome-regular steps had taken her a few meters ahead of them, he'd spun around and snuck in a kiss from Asuka. The redhead had been surprised by the uncharacteristic initiative by the Third Child, but happily accepted the hurried kiss before pushing him away with a whispered "Careful!" Rei had given no sign she'd noticed the momentary slip in their act.

Asuka had shifted totally into her public persona once they'd arrived at school, giving him and Rei nothing more than haughty, dismissive looks until they'd arrived in class, where she'd proceeded to ignore them. Now that she was occupying the center of his thoughts so much, for the first time Shinji had spent the entire morning wondering about that. Why _did_ Asuka act so differently in public? He understood a little now, that she drove herself so hard to be the best because she feared that no one would want her around otherwise, but... He almost couldn't understand it. She_ was_ so good, so confident, how could she ever worry about no one wanting her? She didn't _have_ to act like that to make him or anyone want to be around her. She was exotic, fiery, strong... he'd want her on his side in a fight even if he wasn't falling hopelessly in love with her. But how could he convince her that the real Asuka she let him see at home was even more wonderful than her Elite Pilot act?

He almost laughed at himself. Was he really giving himself the task of convincing the most amazing girl he knew that she really was as wonderful as she tried to pretend to be? That she didn't have to act at all? _'How do I convince her she really is worth the world?'_

His musings on how to make Asuka feel as special as she made him feel were cut off by the bell. Before he could rise from his desk for lunch, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up to the impressive chest of Chihiro Tanaka, then quickly jerked his eyes up to her face.

"Hello, Ikari-kun. Are you ready for lunch? I've been looking forward to this all day!" she said cheerfully.

Shinji paled. Oh, right. He'd forgotten this was coming.

Another, darker shadow loomed from behind him. He was faintly surprised there wasn't a glowing red aura around Asuka. "Yes, there's been a slight change of plans. No private lunches."

.

Tanaka looked from one Pilot to the next. They were all seated facing her on one bench of the outdoor table near the back of the school. "So you three are together because..."

"We're not 'together'," Asuka growled. "It's Special Training. We're not allowed to be separated."

Tanaka regarded the quietly bristling Second Child nervously. "Right."

"Sorr-" Shinji began.

"Stop apologizing already, baka." Asuka poked him in the side. "You sound like a broken record." Her hand, mostly hidden below the level of the table, lingered to gently rub where she'd poked him by way of apology.

"Are you two always like that?" Tanaka asked warily.

"They've improved greatly since they synchronized. Now they are totally familiar with each other's moves," Rei spoke up for the first time. Asuka's mouth dropped open and she and Shinji both stared at Rei like she'd grown antlers.

Tanaka blinked at her. "Er,...that means...?"

"They developed a bond beyond the physical," Rei said calmly, still steadily eating her vegetarian lunch.

Takana's eyebrows shot up and her face went red. She rapidly looked back and forth between Shinji and Asuka. "Wait... you mean-"

Asuka hurriedly interrupted. "It was training, alright? We trained in sync, for a simultaneous attack! Only for a battle! That's all! We didn't do anything improper, no matter what you're imagining!" She was more than a little red herself. Shinji tried to resist the urge to sink out of sight into the ground.

Rei continued, perfectly unruffled. "Though I believe this bond predates that session. Ikari is the first person Pilot Soryu ever let inside her Entry Plug."

Tanaka went redder. "Is... is she talking about-"

"NO," Asuka almost shouted. She was as red as her hair now.

Tanaka reeled back from the force of Asuka's insistent denial. "Um...right. Nothing improper! Perish the thought! Ikari-kun is a perfectly responsible young man! He'd never do anything indecent with you!"

Asuka bristled some more. "What do you mean he wouldn't do anything with me?! I'm the most beautiful girl he knows! He'd do anything he could with me, all night long, and beg for more!"

The only sound in their corner of the schoolyard was the gentle click of Rei's chopsticks against the bottom of her bento and the 'caw, caw' of a lone crow passing overhead. Shinji buried his face in his hands.

After a long, awkward pause, Asuka quietly muttered, "That didn't just happen and none of you remember anything. _Or I will scoop out your brains and make a_ _**pie**_, _understood_?"

Tanaka nervously coughed. "Um, right. So how do you fit into this, Rei?"

Rei finished her meal and closed the bento back up, putting it away in her bag. "I must bond with both of them. I believe it will prove difficult. Soryu is not a willing partner."

"But Ikari-kun... er, is?"

Rei calmly met her eyes. "I already have a bond with Ikari-kun."

Asuka coughed as a bite of her lunch suddenly caught in her throat. She pounded on her chest for a moment to clear it. She stared hard at Rei. "What?! S-since when?"

"Since after the Fifth Angel, when he forced open my armor with his blade and burst into my Entry Plug. No one else had ever gotten to my core with such need. He was urgent and forceful. It... made me smile." The faintest hints of such an expression appeared on Rei's lips. "I would like to do it again. Maybe more than once."

Tanaka was bright red and speechless. Her head slowly cranked around to stare at Asuka, begging for some explanation that was less lewd than what she was apparently coming up with.

Asuka thought desperately. What the Hell? Oh, right! "... I-it was the battle, all right, she's talking about the Eva! Baka-Shinji had to breach her Eva's armor after the Fifth Angel melted it to get her out! He just had to use the Eva's knife to break through since it was too hard! Not _her_ um... 'core' or anything! The armor! Hard armor!"

"Yes," Rei agreed placidly. "Ikari had felt my softest part before that, but I had not understood the meaning of it at that time."

Tanaka whipped her head back to Asuka almost desperately.

Asuka gave her an equally confused look. "...I've got nothing. I can't decipher that one."

Shinji's eyes went wide. _'Oh no... she wouldn't!'_

"He touched my-" Rei began, halted only by Shinji's desperate lunge to 'accidentally' knock over his cup of tea into Rei's lap.

"Oh no! I've spilled tea all over you, Ayanami! Quickly, we must go wash it out right away!" He stood up with amazing speed and shoved his bento into his bag, then dragged Rei away towards the nearest building with a bathroom. "Come on, Asuka! You can't be away from us, remember?"

He sped off, Rei in tow. Asuka hurriedly tossed her mostly finished lunch into her bag and stood up. She gave Tanaka a narrow-eyed glare. "And stay away from Shinji. You can't handle him."

Tanaka stared after her for a long while, before plaintively asking the empty air, "What the fuck just happened?"


	7. Ch 6 - Before The Storm Pt 2

Asuka smashed the door to the bathroom open and charged inside. "Alright, Shinji, what the Hell was that? What was Wond-" She slammed to a halt like she'd hit a brick wall.

Shinji was at the sink, _very intently_ washing Rei's skirt. That Rei was not wearing. Rei was behind Shinji, standing perfectly still in the middle of the bathroom, staring right at Asuka as she came in. Her state of undress below her waist did not seem to bother her. She also had really boring underwear, Asuka vaguely noted.

"Wondergirl, why the fuck are you standing there in just your panties?!"

"Ikari-kun needed to wash out the tea he spilled on it. This was the most efficient way," Rei said, unperturbed. Shinji continued to wash the skirt in the sink, very carefully keeping his head down so as to avoid even looking in the mirror right in front of him and seeing Ayanami's... charms.

"You can't just whip your skirt off in front of a boy like that! Even baka-Shinji! Boys might get the wrong idea!" Asuka sputtered.

"What idea?" Rei asked.

"Asuka blinked at her. Ayanami had sounded utterly, sincerely clueless. "You.. sex, of course! A teenage boy sees a girl just strip down to her panties in a private place like this, they're going to think you're trying to get their pants off! How can you not know that? Didn't your mother teach you not to flash your goods at boys?"

"Mother?

"Yes, baka! Your mother! Everybody's got one!"

"No."

"What?

"I was not taught such by a mother."

Asuka shared a nonplussed look with Shinji, who had dared to raise his head at this strange response. "Well, why not?"

Rei's tone was as level as ever. "I was raised under the care of NERV by Commander Ikari, with assistance from Doctor Akagi. He did not instruct me about such."

The sound of running water was the only sound in the room for a moment.

"What happened to your mother, Ayanami?" Shinji asked quietly.

"I do not know."

Asuka exchanged a very significant glance with Shinji. _'Well, isn't __**that**__ interesting? Damn it, Shinji and I need to talk about this! We need to dig into this, without letting other people know we are. Wait, other people...' _She looked around, suddenly noticing the lack of urinals. "Baka-Shinji, this is a _girls'_ bathroom! Why the Hell did you run in here?! What if there'd been people in here?"

"It was the closest one! I panicked!" Shinji whined.

Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that was a sudden, convenient little 'accident' you had out there. What was Wondergirl about to say? You touched her somewhere?"

"Umm..."

"He touched my right breast," Rei calmly supplied.

Asuka stared at her, mouth gaping. "What." She shook her head. "Explain, rapidly."

"Ikari-kun came to my apartment alone. He encountered me as I came out of a shower. He was examining a personal item of mine. When I took it from his hand, he fell on top of me. His hand grasped my right breast as we fell to the floor. He remained that way until I asked him to move." Rei stared into space for a moment. "It was... not unpleasant."

Asuka directed a stare at Shinji that should have set his shirt on fire. "Really? How interesting..." Shinji hunched lower, returning his eyes to the sink. "Pleasant or not, you can't just let baka-Shinji or anyone here see you naked like that."

Rei tilted her head to the side by a tiny degree. "I don't mind if Ikari-kun sees me naked."

_'Oh no you do not, you little blue-haired bitch! He's MINE!'_ "You can't do that with Shinji! He's... _'MINE! Just for me! Taken! Claimed! In love with me! GAAAAGHH! I can't say __**any **__of that!' _"He's... not... you... WHARRGAGBBL!"

"I do not understand," Rei said after Asuka descended into Angrish for a minute.

"It's... It's..." _'Come on, Soryu! You're supposed to be a genius! Think of something! There's got to be a thousand reasons you should be able to tell Wondergirl to keep her hands and eyes off Shinji besides 'He's __**mine**__ and if you try to grab a piece of __**my**__ sweet baka-Shinji, __**I will cut you**__!' Come on! Ah!' _ "It's not ladylike!" _'Oh, good one, Soryu. Now you sound like someone's spinster aunt.' _"You don't just let a boy grab you like that! Sex is supposed to be with someone you like, someone you care about!"

"I care about Ikari-kun."

Shinji audibly gulped as they both processed the implications in that. Shinji took Rei's skirt and sidestepped along towards the hot-air dryers, carefully keeping his back to Rei and his head down.

_'Do not start making plans to murder Wondergirl. Do not start making plans to murder Wondergirl. Do not start making plans to murder Wondergirl. You're not allowed to kill her, someone might notice.'_ Aloud, she managed to hold herself to, "Don't start planning to have sex with him, Wondergirl. Misato might notice. And for damn sure I'm not going to let you try it, or run around like that, for many reasons. We're supposed to teach you how to raise your Synch Score like we did? Fine. Then we're going to teach you how to be more like us, because you're sure as Hell not normal right now."

She stepped closer to Rei and swung her finger up to point right in Rei's face. "For example, if I find out you were doing all that stuff at lunch on purpose, I'm going to strangle you, but you're so weird I bet you were actually ignorant of what you were saying?"

"What I was saying? I informed her about factual events of past actions in our Evas," Rei said, sounding slightly puzzled.

"And damn near everything out of your mouth was a huge double entendre!" Asuka exclaimed.

Rei blinked at her without any sign of comprehension. "What is a 'double-entendre'?"

Asuka lowered her hand and stared at her. "You... what? You really... Are you _screwing _with me, First?"

Rei gave her a look that was either blank or so flat she couldn't see the difference. "I am not screwing with you, Pilot Soryu."

"A double entendre is when you say something superficially ordinary with deliberate sexual double meaning. When you started telling Tanaka about 'Ikari-kun was the first one in Soryu's Entry Plug', she's going to think you're making a joke about us having sex! And 'he burst into my core' and 'I would like to do it again' makes it sound like baka-Shinji's doing you too!"

"I was not attempting to imply such. I am not having sex with Ikari-kun."

"Tanaka doesn't know that! She's going to think you were doing that on purpose! She's probably convinced 'Shinji the Casanova' here has both of us at his beck and call all night thanks to you!"

"Israfel Special?" Shinji muttered behind her, just loud enough for her to hear.

Biting her lip to stop a smile and suppressing the urge to laugh, she swung around to look at Shinji, who was done drying Rei's skirt. She gave him a glare too. "And you! Anyone _else_ I should know about you getting to Second Base with, baka?"

Shinji blushed. "I... um... it's not like there was a good moment to bring it up!" he burst out. "It was an accident, Rei slapped me later, and we both tried to never mention it again!"

Asuka looked at Rei. "You slapped him?" _I don't know whether to be mad at her for hurting my Shinji, or proud of her for acting like a normal girl for once.'_ "Good! You can't let bakas get away with just grabbing your goods like that, no matter then excuse."

"He insulted his father," Rei said.

"Wait, this pervy baka falling on top of you and getting a good feel of your bon bons didn't bother you, but him insulting his bastard father got you to slap him?" Asuka asked in disbelief. Rei's eyes almost flashed a hint of anger at Asuka's choice of adjective, but she just nodded. _'Ok, scratch the 'normal' part.'_

Asuka rubbed at her face. "Fine. Fine! Alright, so we really need to teach you _everything_. To start with, you don't let boys get away with grabbing feels off of you without swift and thorough retribution." _'Unless, of course, you __**want**__ him to, in which case you tell Shinji to stop teasing you and go faster!'_ a cheery little voice in her head put in. _'Yes, thank you, libido, now shut up!'_ "Second, you don't just take you clothes off in front of boys in public restrooms!" _'No, you save that for the bedroom you share at home, or the living room if Misato isn't home! The look on his face...'_ Asuka grit her teeth. _'Not __**helping**__.' _"You don't just flash people like that. Don't you have any shame?"

"What is 'shame'?"

Asuka covered her face with her hand. She opened her mouth to respond to this latest strange gap in Rei's understanding when she froze. There were voices approaching the door from the hallway. _'Crap!'_ She grabbed Rei by the shoulders and spun her to the left, pushing her towards one of the stalls. "Quick! Inside!" She reached back to grab Shinji's hand and pull him along as well. "Rei, sit down. Third, you and me up on the back of the toilet. We can't have three pairs of feet showing."

She grabbed Rei's skirt out of Shinji's hands and dropped it on the floor around Rei's feet. They had just slammed the stall door closed and locked when they heard the bathroom door open and a handful of girls enter.

Asuka gave Shinji a jaundiced stare across the back of the toilet. "Well, this is going well. Let's try to avoid any further disasters today, hmm?" she hissed.

.

"No, seriously, she said 'you can't handle him'! Soryu said he's too much to handle! And Ayanami was practically drooling at the idea of him 'touching her softest part' again!"

"You've got to be joking! He's got _both_ of them? And they're fine with it?"

"The only thing Soryu seemed to mind was Ayanami revealing it all! And then she tried to warn me off even trying for him? He's got to be absolutely _amazing_, and they just don't want to share!"

"I just can't believe it, Tanaka. He's tamed both of them, the Red Demon _and_ the Ice Queen? He looks so quiet and unassuming! Who would have expected a raging masculine beast under that quiet exterior?"

"I did. Totally called it. I just knew he had to be a tiger under that shy façade. Akemi and Haruko thought so too. That's why they tried asking him to lunch last month. He's turned down everyone who asked before, and Soryu guards him like a shark anyhow. How did you get him to say yes, Tanaka?"

"I just asked him when he was smiling. I guess he was in a good mood. He's got a _cute_ smile, too."

"I know! And those deep blue eyes! I'll have to ask him tomorrow. Even if he brings those two along, it's worth it for the chance. I mean, _Soryu_ told you to back off, but he didn't say anything, right? And he said yes to lunch!"

"Well, so long as Soryu doesn't kill you for trying..."

"I"m totally asking him again next week."

"Me too."

"Dibs on Friday."

"Does anyone know if he's busy after school? I want to see if he'd like to walk home together."

"Don't you live _east_ of here?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Fair enough."

.

"And another thing, First; if and when you ever do show them off to someone who is _not_ the Third Child, wear something better than those panties, because that is the most boring underwear I have ever seen." Asuka threw a glance behind them, making sure Shinji was still trailing back far enough he wouldn't hear anything. This was embarrassing enough.

Rei cocked her head at Asuka as they walked towards the school's gate. "I thought I was not supposed to display them to anyone?"

Asuka sighed. _'I can't believe I had to give the 'birds and the bees' talk to fricking __**Wondergirl**__. I can see Commander Ikari not wanting to do it, maybe, but why wouldn't Doctor Akagi do it?'_ This was the strangest educational experience Asuka had ever had to be a part of. "Well, in the hypothetical and extremely unlikely situation you ever have a boyfriend, you should wear something besides that."

Rei shook her head once. "I do not have any other kind."

Asuka looked at her. Again, Rei was acting like she was less a teenage girl than an alien that looked like one. "Don't you have anything fancier? Anything to go with pants, stuff that doesn't leave a visible line?"

"I have seven pairs like this. That is all."

Asuka's look got even more confused. "First, don't you have any other clothes at all?"

"I have several school uniforms."

"What." Any flatter and Asuka's voice could have been used as pavement. "Wondergirl, how do you nothave _any_ other clothing but school uniforms?"

"Commander Ikari never instructed me to obtain any."

Asuka couldn't stop herself from looking at Shinji. "Third, what the He-... what are you staring at?"

Shinji was not paying any attention to her. He was staring past them at the school gate. Asuka turned to follow his gaze.

Tanaka and what appeared to be about a third of the girls in their class were clustered in a group at the gate. And they all were staring at the Pilots. Asuka felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. _'No... they're staring at __**Shinji**__. Uh oh.'_

The nearest girls giggled as they approached, and the one in the front stepped up next to them to talk to Shinji. Asuka glared daggers at her. Megumi Haya... something. Asuka couldn't remember, just that she had an annoyingly cheerful voice, always seemed to be talking, and was one of the crowd that she always caught eyeing Shinji when he wasn't looking.

"Hiii~, Ikari-kun," she chirped at Shinji as he drew closer, hands behind her back and chest pushed out. Shinji eyed her nervously, holding his book bag between him and her like a shield. "Um... yes, Hayashibara-san?"

"Are you busy right now? If you don't mind, I'd like to-"

"He's busy," Asuka interrupted. _'MINE!' _she wanted to snarl.

Hayashibara leaned away from Asuka's glare, but rallied. "I... I was asking him, not you, Soryu-san," she shot back, coldly polite.

"NERV business," Asuka shot right back just as coldly. "We're doing special training, and can't be separated or interfered with. So he's with us, and we're busy. It takes endless training to be Pilots like us. If you like not being killed by Angels, you'll avoid interfering with that."

Hayashibara's hot retort died out i the face of Asuka's harsh reminder of the realities of living in Tokyo-3. She looked between each od the Pilots before bowing deeply to Shinji. "Thank you for your efforts in protecting our city, Ikari-san." She rose, then gave a notably shallower bow to Asuka and Rei. "And to you both as well," she muttered very grudgingly.

Asuka ignored her slight. "First Child, Third Child, ready to go?" she coolly asked. Shinji gave her a relieved nod and fell in behind her, Rei trailing along like a ghost.

.

"Wondergirl, where the Hell do you live?" Asuka complained. She shifted the mass of shopping bags she carried, the results of the impromptu shopping expedition Asuka had led them on after leaving the school , and waved a hand at the bland concrete towers around them as they trudged down the empty road on the northwest corner of the city. "This is like the worst part of Tokyo-3 I've ever seen! Half these buildings are wrecks!"

"This was the residence provided for me when I left the Geofront," Rei said. "I have not been ordered to move anywhere else." The endless BANG-BANG-BANG of some nearby demolition machinery breaking down a derelict building punctuated her statement. "We are here."

Asuka looked doubtfully up at the building they'd stopped in front of. It looked scarcely any better than the abandoned ones around it. "Seriously? You live in this dump?"

Rei did not respond, merely leading them up to the fourth floor and her apartment. Asuka's look of disgust and shock deepened as Rei opened her rusty door and led them inside.

"Gott im Himmel, was zur Hölle ist das?" Asuka burst out as they reached the solitary room. "Th-this place looks like a Russian prison cell! First, they make you live here?" She dropped her armload of bags against one wall and stared at the incredibly Spartan room.

Rei looked at her, slightly puzzled. "Yes."

"Does Misato know about this place, that you live like this?"

"Major Katsuragi has never visited here, no."

Shinji put his part of the bags of clothing and sundry toiletries Asuka had insisted Rei purchase on the bed and looked around. The apartment had not changed since hie brief, embarrassment-filled visit months ago. The same dirty bandages and trash were piled in one corner, which was in fact rather disturbing. He couldn't stand it. IT was making his fundamentally neat nature twitch. "Ayanami, may I clean up a little for you?"

Rei blinked in surprise at him. "Yes?" she answered, sounding almost uncertain.

Shinji began to pick up loose trash and dump it in a discarded grocery bag. Asuka snorted briefly at Shinji's habits working overtime, and returned to her horrified examination of Rei's apartment. She paused when she noticed the surprisingly large pile of medication on the chest of drawers that was nearly the only other furniture besides the metal-framed bed. "First, what is all... this..." She peered closer. She was right. All the medicine was prescribed by "Dr. Akagi, R". Was Rei ill? This was a bigger pile of pills than she'd seen anyone take outside of a hospital.

She picked up one bottle and read the label. "Methoxetamine... Benzodiazepine... Diazepam..." she read off. She looked up at Rei in growing confusion. "This... this is nothing but a giant cocktail of sedatives, dissociatives, mood suppressors, and hormonal contraceptives! First, why the Hell are you taking all this shit?!"

Rei looked at her blankly. "Doctor Akagi's orders. She said the commander had required it."

"This... this is nothing but stuff that makes it impossible for you to feel anything! No wonder you act like a... doll..." Asuka trailed off in dawning horror.

"I am not a doll," Rei calmly replied, expressionless.

Asuka tried and failed to suppress a shiver. "If... if you're not, then you shouldn't take these, First. These drugs don't do anything but rob you of your ability to feel at all. No wonder baka-Shinji falling on you got no reaction! You must be so numb it hardly registered! No arousal, no worry, no depression... they make you like a puppet with this stuff! Don't take it anymore!"

"Docotr Akagi ordered me to take them daily. She said the Commander required I do so," Rei repeated stoically.

"Just... do me a favor, First Child. Look up the drugs on this label at school tomorrow. See what they do. There's no reason for you to be taking all this. Then... just... try not taking them for a few days? See the difference? It's..." Asuka clenched her hands into fists to stop the shaking. "If they can do this to you, they can do it to any of us. It's not right." She put the bottle of pills down like it might explode. She looked at Rei again. "Please."

Rei looked uncertain. The Second Child had never said 'please' to her before, never asked her anything in a tone of voice this naked. "I will... look."

Asuka stared at her for a moment longer before turning to Shinji. "Third, it's late. I want to go home. Let's go."

Shinji looked up from where he was almost done sweeping the layers of dust in the room into one pile. "I'm just about done with the sweeping. Can we-"

"I want to go home _right now_, Shinji," Asuka said, her voice tense.

Shinji looked at her, surprised, but nodded. "I guess it's kind of late. We were shopping for a while. We'll see you in the morning, Ayanami?"

Rei nodded. "Thank you... for cleaning." She silently showed them out. She returned to her bare room and spent a long time staring at the pill bottles.

.

Shinji nearly winced as Asuka seized his and in a hard grip as soon as they left Rei's building. She pulled him along down the sidewalk at a fast clip, like she was trying to put distance between her and Rei's apartment as fast as she could. "Asuka, what's wrong?"

Asuka didn't say anything for a minute. "She's the Commander's pet, his favorite," she said in a low voice. "Not you, his own son. Not me, the top scorer. Her. She's the one he _likes_. And they've got her taking so many tranquilizers and dissociatives I'm amazed she was even _able_ to get angry enough to slap you. That amount of drugs has to be making her nearly a robot. That 's the kind of cocktail you give to someone you want to keep totally pliable, unargumentative, too doped up to care about anything... someone you want to make into a _doll_." Asuka shuddered. "If they can do that to the Pilot they like, what do they think of _us_?"

They reached the bus stop, and for a change they were in luck. They could see a bus just two blocks away, heading for their stop. Asuka turned to look at him. She looked around, assuring herself they were alone for the moment, before clamping her arms around him and holding him tight.

She was shivering despite the warm evening. "Asuka?"

"Don't... don't let that happen to me, Shinji. Don't let them do that to me. Or you. I'd rather die."

Shinji shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like hearing Asuka like this. She was fire, light, confidence. She... He'd never seen her afraid like this. "You think they could?"

"I didn't think they could do something like that to _her_! I thought she was just stuck up and didn't want to talk to me or something. I didn't think they'd be_ making_ her like that." She shivered again. "It's a lot harder to hate her now that I know that. And I told you how I feel about dolls."

He nodded and squeezed her back. "We watch out for each other, right. We promised. Together."

Asuka's shivering eased. "Right," she whispered. "Not alone. Never again."

The bus pulled up behind them with a hiss of brakes. They climbed in and settled into seats near the back. This route would have them home in less than thirty minutes.

"What are we going to do about Ayanami? If those drugs are as bad as you say, we can't just let her keep taking them," Shinji asked.

Asuka made herself sit up straight, though leaning into Shinji's warm side was very tempting. "Hopefully she'll see what I meant when she checks them at school tomorrow. And I've got an idea for her nasty apartment, too."

.

"Welcome home! Have fun on your first day of team-building?" Misato asked them cheerfully from the living room couch as they arrived home.

"Oh, _loads_ of laughs hanging out with Wondergirl. She's just such a social butterfly, that one!" Asuka replied sarcastically, marching into the living room. "I can't wait to see what other amazing things she can show us. It's going to be hard to top the rat-infested dump she lives in! Misato, have you _seen_ that place?"

The curvy Major looked at Asuka curiously. "No, I haven't Ritsuko took care of Rei before I got here. She handled it all. Why?"

"She lives in a demolition zone! The building looks like it's about to fall apart at any moment! You have to go look at it, Misato! They can't treat an Evangelion Pilot like that, not even Wondergirl!" Asuka injected as much indignation into her voice as she could. "I wouldn't keep a sick dog in that hole!"

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Really? Hmm... maybe I'll drop in on Rei-chan's place tomorrow. Is that why you two were out so late with her? Visiting her lovely home?"

Asuka snorted. "Lovely, my ass. We took her out shopping. She literally had no other clothes but school uniforms! And when we took all the stuff we'd got back to her place, it looked like she lived in a prison cell in Stalingrad! Didn't it, Third?"

Shinji nodded behind her as he finished putting away their bags. "It was a pretty run-down area, Misato-san. Ayanami deserves to live some place nicer than that. Aren't there empty apartments in this building or something we could move her to?"

"Eheh..." Misato smiled awkwardly. Their building was in fact almost empty, many of the residents having moved out of Tokyo-3 in fear once the Angel attacks began. "Let me look at Rei-chan's place before we start moving her in next door. Maybe we can spruce it up."

Asuka shook her head. "There's no 'sprucing' that wasteland, Misato. Now come on, baka. I'm hungry, and then I _really_ want to get to bed."

"Jawhol, schatzie."

Misato's eyebrows shot up and she clamped down on a giggle. Did Shinji just say that?

Asuka spun around. "What was that?!" she screeched. Once her back was fully towards Misato she gave Shinji a wink and a blown kiss before she swung a hand at the side of his head. "Baka Shinji! Die!"

Shinji dodged around the table towards the kitchen. "Achtung! Help!"

"Awww... he _is_ paying attention to your German lessons, Asuka!" Misato observed, snickering at her charges.

.


	8. Ch 7 - Before The Storm Pt 3

Rei stared at the red and white pills in her hand and hesitated. This was new.

Her eyes had snapped open at precisely 0640, just like every morning. She had never needed an alarm clock. She had gone through her morning routine automatically, no thought required. She got dressed, prepared a bland lunch bento, and took out her daily medication dose. But then she had halted, conflicted.

_'Doctor Akagi instructed me to take these daily. She stated the Commander had required them. She implied they were essential to maintain my body's stability,' _one thought argued. _'Doctor Akagi talks at me, not to me like the Commander or Ikari-kun do. She does not care for me. Even the Second Child cares for me. She asked me 'please' not to do this. And my current research confirms her description; most of the medication in these pills is sedative and dissociative in nature,' _the other side argued back. Disobeying the Commander, even by proxy still felt... wrong. Rei had never done it. But Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu... they had taken her to buy clothes to help her be more like them, cleaned her apartment out of concern for her state of life, and warned her against taking medication that apparently clouded her mind. They... cared about her and her well-being?

_'They fight beside me in battle. They risk their lives for each other because they care for each other. They have done so for me. Ergo, they care for me too.'_ Logic had always come easily to Rei. It made things simple, clear. Something she liked, since her thoughts often felt... muddied, slowed, unclear. If Pilot Soryu was correct, this medication might even be the cause of that.

She closed her hand and pocketed the pills. She would confirm once more with research at school. She could always take the pills later in the day if her concerns proved unfounded.

She walked to the door and picked up her schoolbag. She had just enough time to meet the Second and Third Children at their residence if she left now.

.

"Hee hee... Mmm. Rrowl..."

"Shhhh!"

"Come on, one more..."

"This is dangerous..."

"That makes it more fun!" Asuka pouted at him. "Misato can't see us in here. And I want every bit of you I can get, Third Child. We're going to be stuck with Wondergirl all day long again. I'm going to have to spend all day acting like I don't want to get back into bed with you right now and keep doing what we were doing last night."

"We can't, we used up the last one," Shinji said mock-mournfully. He brightened. "You're getting that implant thing from Doctor Akagi today, right?"

"Yup!" Asuka gave him a sly, wicked grin. "So I get one more good kiss before we go out there and I have to pretend to be angry at you. Gimme."

Shinji really found it hard to argue, and not just because Asuka had her tongue halfway down his throat. Her arms came up to gently wrap around the back of his neck and pull him close against her. His rose automatically to hold her by the hips. _'This... mmm. __**This**__ is the way to leave home in the mornings. Wait, what was that noise? It was kind of a bing-bong... DOORBELL!'_

He and Asuka sprang apart just before Misato's voice called from the dining area. "Is that Rei-chan? Get going you two!"

Shinji glanced at Asuka, who was rapidly smoothing out mussed hair and clothes before nodding to him. He hit the door open button to reveal Rei standing placidly on the doorstep, face as blank as always.

"Good Morning."

"Good morning, Ayanami. You're here pretty early!" Shinji said with a nervous laugh. He desperately hoped he didn't have any signs of Asuka's affection visible on his neck.

Asuka examined Rei's face carefully. "Did you...?"

Rei still had no expression. "I have not. I will conduct research before any further action." She did meet Asuka's eyes and nod slightly. "Thank you for... being concerned about me." She looked at Shinji too. "And you as well, Ikari-kun."

With that she turned to walk back towards the elevators. Sharing a worried look, Shinji and Asuka followed after.

.

"Hi~, Ikari-kun..."

"Hi~, Ikari-san..."

Shinji waved and smiled weakly at both girls. He very carefully did not glance in Asuka's direction. He could feel the murder-aura pouring off her from where he sat.

Asuka clawed another set of slashes into her desktop and added Megumi Ogata and Rie Kugimiya to the 'Must Kill Them Later' list she was rapidly compiling in her head. There had been a few girls lying in wait in the schoolyard to 'accidentally' run into Shinji that they'd managed to evade by careful use of cover, but half the female portion of their class had turned to watch like hawks as they walked into the classroom, several visibly undressing Shinji with their eyes. That alone had started Asuka on a slow boil. Fortunately, she'd managed to make it look like her old 'angry at everyone' routine.

But nearly all of those girls had found excuses to walk by Shinji's desk and say a personal hello to him this morning, more than a few putting a flirtatious lilt in it, or a bit of extra hip action to their walk. On the last two, both. Asuka put them at the top of the list.

"Hi~, Shinji..." Touji imitated as he walked past his friend's desk. He ran his fingers up Shinji's arm. "You busy later? I've heard sooo~oo much about you!"

Shinji swatted at his hand. "Knock it off," he grumbled.

"Didya change your cologne or sumthin'? The girls are all over you this mornin'!" Touji marveled. "Kensuke, you been gettin' all this on tape for later, right?"

Their spectacled friend nodded with a grin. "Oh yeah," he said, waving his mini-camera. "The Story of Shinji's Harem, Volume One, already started."

"I didn't do anything, guys. I have no idea what's going on. As usual," Shinji muttered. "They just started coming after me this week like all of a sudden I smell like a freshly cooked steak dinner. It's just in the last few days. I don't know why."

Asuka permitted herself a tiny smirk._ 'I know why...'_ The thought did make her feel a little better. All the girls wanted him all of a sudden because _she_ had him. They didn't even know why he was acting more cheerful, or that they'd already lost the game. _'He's mine. I'm his. None of you are ever going to beat that.'_ She narrowed her eyes at Tanaka and Hayashibara, whispering suspiciously together in their seats in the far corner of the classroom. _'Though I bet a bunch of you are going to get on my nerves trying...' _

"C'mon, Shin-man, you've gotta tell us what you're doin' different, so we can get in on it! I could finally get one of these hot babes to notice my studly, well-muscled bod-OW!" Touji's paean to his handsome form was cut off by the impact of a well-aimed piece of chalk to the middle of his forehead.

"Sit DOWN, Suzuhara!" Hikari roared at him. "And shut up!"

"Alright, alright, Class Rep! You don' gotta hit me!" He moved back to his own desk and flopped into it. "Yeesh, why's she gotta pick on me like that?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. _'Jock-Stooge, sharp as a brick as always. I have no idea what you see in him, Hikari.'_

She glanced at Rei. The bluenette had her laptop already open and was busily typing away at some search page. Asuka crossed her fingers. _'I really hope she listens. No one should have their mind mucked with like that, not even Wondergirl.'_

Their elderly sensei finally arrived, and class began.

.

"What do you mean it takes a week to take full effect?!"

Doctor Akagi looked mildly annoyed at Asuka's outburst. Well, slightly more than she usually looked to Asuka these days. It was hard to tell sometimes.

"It's a hormonal contraceptive _implant_, Asuka, not an injection. It takes a few days to seep the necessary levels into your system. Unless your period is right about to start you should be fine before it hits. Calm down."

"Right, my period. That's not due for at least ten days. I'm fine," Asuka hastily agreed. _'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! That means Shinji and I will have to stop for a week! We can't just stop at a pharmacy and get a box of condoms with Wondergirl watching! Not fair! Cold-turkey withdrawal after just a week of getting a taste for it!'_ That thought sobered Asuka and helped her cool her irritation. _'Cold-turkey withdrawal... I know it's a bad move, but the idea of Wondergirl continuing to take that witches brew of shit is revolting.' _Asuka's eyes slid to Doctor Akagi's back as she turned to put away the scapel and other medical implements she'd used for Asuka's implant. _'__**That**__ witch's brew, in fact. She has to know what she's giving Ayanami is doing to her. Why the fuck are they keeping Wondergirl dosed up with so much shit she can hardly talk?'_

Doctor Akagi turned back and gave Asuka's bandage one last look. "Alright, you're set. You may go. Shinji and Rei should be waiting for you in the other exam room." She picked up her clipboard and headed for the opposite door. "Remind them you all have a Synch Test on Thursday."

She missed Asuka flipping her off.

.

"Ayanami, are you sure we should be doing this?"

"No." Rei pulled a bottle marked 'Flumazenil' from the cabinet.

"...so why...?"

"My research has concluded Pilot Soryu is correct. There is no reason I should be required to take my current regimen of tranquilizers and several other drugs. However, withdrawal symptoms can be severe. I am acquiring palliatives for the major symptoms and other drugs that have been identified to reduce them," Rei said quietly as she placed another bottle in her schoolbag.

"And we're doing this without telling Doctor Akagi because you think she'll say no or try to stop you?" Shinji put a couple of IV bags of saline and some tubing in his bag.

Rei's crimson eyes gave him an unreadable look. "Doctor Akagi is the one who established this regimen for me. She is a brilliant scientist and metabiological doctor. She cannot be unaware of what she is giving me. Therefore, she is doing so on purpose. Ergo, she is unlikely to acquiesce when I tell her I no longer wish to take them. " She reached into the medical cabinet again and pulled out a bottle marked 'Gabapentin'. "Or permit me to obtain counter-agents to the effects of withdrawal syndrome."

"Like what?" Shinji asked uncertainly.

"Nausea, tremors, insomnia, oversensitivity to stimuli, dizziness, parathesia, severe restlessness, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks... potentially coma and death..."Rei listed without inflection, ignoring Shinji's squawk of dismay. "The literature indicates emotional and psychological support from friends and family is highly important to managing the psychological symptoms. I have no family. Can I... rely on you and Pilot Soryu for that?" Rei sounded oddly unsure as she asked him.

"Of course, Ayanami! We're your friends, no matter what!" Shinji seized her hand. "You know that we worry about you!" He blinked and looked down at where he held her hand. He blushed and dropped it.

Rei did not appear to notice. Again, she just held a steady, calm gaze on him for a long moment. "Thank you," she said even more softly.

She turned back to the medical cabinet, rearranged some of the bottles to conceal the small gaps she'd left, and closed it.

.

"Ayanami, are you alright? You don't look very good." Shinji pitched his voice low to avoid anyone's notice, but his concern was easy to hear.

Rei gave a sharp shake of her head, but did not lift her stare from the surface of her desk. She kept her gaze fixed on that spot with intense concentration, and her hands were gripping the sides of the desktop so hard they were shaking. Or possibly just shaking on their own. Her shaking was making the sweat beading on her forehead and temples drip a little faster.

Three days after she'd begun cutting her dose level, withdrawal symptoms were hitting Rei hard. Anticipating they'd need to keep a close eye on their fellow Pilot and cover for as many of her symptoms as possible, Asuka had had a quiet word with Hikari in her function as Class Rep and gotten their seating shifted slightly. Asuka now sat directly behind Rei, on Shinji's left. That it also moved her right next to Shinji was a nice bonus as far as Asuka was concerned. Not that she'd let her mask slip so far as to actually show it in class, but it was nice to be near him.

Rei swallowed heavily. "I am... feeling nauseous, Ikari-kun. I may require a bathroom soon."

"Asuka, can you-" Shinji's request to her was cut off as yet another girl sniffing after Shinji slid in between them, her back pointedly to Asuka.

Asuka fought hard to keep her hands from curling into claws. Moving to this new seat let her keep a close eye on Rei, but it also uncovered Shinji's 'right flank', and put her right up close as all the other girls kept hitting on her secret boyfriend. And she couldn't officially protest. It was maddening. Shinji had gotten better at dodging their constant attempts to get him to eat lunch with them, go for a walk after school with them, go shopping downtown with them... None of them had yet asked him out on a date _directly_, but they were getting close.

"Good morning, Ikari-san," purred Natsumi Takamori. "I know I can't possibly interrupt your important special training with the others, but I'd love to join you for lunch and hear all about what it's like being the brave Pilot who saves our city over and over again."

"Er... It's not just me, Takamori-san. I couldn't do it without Asuka and Ayanami. I'd have been killed four or five times already without them," Shinji attempted to parry. He tried to lean around her. "Asuka, coul-"

Takamori shifted to stay right in his view, incidentally blocking his view of Asuka. She flicked a dismissive momentary glance over her shoulder at the female Pilots. "Oh, they're nice. I'm sure they're _splendid_ little helpers to you, but everyone knows you're the one who's the _real_ hero," she continued.

Shinji's face clouded at this. "No, I'm really not," he said more quietly.

"I think you are," Takamori rolled right on. "I'd really like to hear more about it from you personally."

Asuka grit her teeth. She knew how Shinji hated being called that. She disagreed, but could see why he didn't like it. They were just like each other. On too many dark and lonely nights before she came to Japan, she'd feared that she was worthless too. She had yet to confess that to Shinji the way he'd told her about his fears, but she felt that she safely could, and probably would soon. It felt better every time they shared something, showed each other a little more of their true hearts. So she already knew Shinji thought himself cowardly and selfish, not a hero at all. He'd blushed a truly amazing shade the night Asuka had quietly told him _she_ considered him one, for diving into Mount Asama to save her from being crushed to death in magma. She'd melted his further embarrassed mumbles with a kiss as hot as the volcano he'd saved her from. That had been a good night.

But from someone like Takamori, it was just a reminder of how he didn't feel worthy of the title most of the time. _'Fricking skank is trying to worm her way in to grab a piece of my Shinji, and making him feel like crap doing it. I will eat your __**eyes**__, bitch! How dare you hurt him!' _She couldn't restrain herself anymore. Watching one of these slags make Shinji's smile crumble enraged her in a way she'd never felt before. Time to do something, anything to make her leave him alone. She frantically tried to come up with a good excuse to interrupt. Her first preference, stabbing Takamori in the neck with her pen, was right out. _'No, can't stab her brains out... beside, strangling her with my bare hands is so much more personal and intimate...'_

Asuka was just opening her mouth to speak when she noticed Rei was staring as fixedly at Shinji and Takamori as she was, despite the sweat sheening Rei's face. Rei also looked a little greener than usual. Something flickered across Rei's face, almost a hint of anger. As Asuka watched, Rei stood up and turned towards Shinji's desk. "Ikari-kun," she began weakly, "I... HOOOORUUGHHHGUG!"

Rey Ayanami began her newest phase of withdrawal syndrome by messily vomiting all over Natsumi Takamori.

Takamori had ignored Rei's rising, and so caught the first blast in her side. Her long, silky black hair seemed to make a shiny, attractive target, as Rei's next couple of heaves liberally splattered across it. "AAAAAA! Get away from me! EW! EW! EW! Stop it!"

"HUUURGUBBBL!" Rei gave one last wave of bile and bits of her breakfast to Takamori's shoes before ceasing and leaning hard against Asuka's desk. "I think I need to go to the nurse's office," she said in a weak voice, barely heard over Takamori's continued shrieking.

Hikari looked aghast at the mess as she ran over from her seat on the far side of the classroom. "Ohmigod... Asuka, can you take Ayanami to the nurse's office? Kugimiya-san, take Takamori-san to the bathroom and help her get cleaned up."

"Ewwww... do I have to?" Kugimiya protested.

Asuka tried not to grin as she took Rei's shoulder and led her to the door. She could feel Rei still shaking under her hand. "Nice shot, Wondergirl," she whispered as they left the classroom. "You really are our team sniper."

"We're a team..." Rei agreed raspily, leaning heavily against Asuka as they walked down the hall. "...You're welcome."

.

Shinji put the rag back in the bucket and sighed. Cleanup had been fast with Hikari organizing things, but Shinji had the feeling this would not be the last such incident to disrupt their day. The girls pursuing him were persistent. He was too tempting a target at lunchtime, even with Asuka and Ayanami. He needed more cover. Fortunately, he and Asuka had discussed the problem last night and developed a plan.

He turned to Hikari, who was likewise finishing putting away some cleaning supplies. "Hey, Class Rep? Can I ask you a favor?"

Hikari raised her eyebrows, but gestured for him to go on. "Certainly, Ikari-kun. What do you need?"

"Um... I'm getting a lot of attention from some of the girls in class, I'm sure you noticed."

Hikari's expression darkened. "Yes, I have. And they're making you uncomfortable?"

"A bit, yes. And I think they're kind of messing with the joint training we're supposed to be doing right now. Um... but I think if we had a larger group, it would head off them trying to squeeze in to our circle at lunch, so could you come eat with us, as Asuka's friend? I'm going to ask Touji and Kensuke to join us too on my side."

The pigtailed brunette brightened up as he made his suggestion, but went dee-in-the-headlights still when Shinji mentioned his tall friend. She unfroze after a second and flashed him a wide smile. "Um, sure, Ikari-kun! I'd love to help you out like that! It'll be just like Major Katsuragi's promotion party!"

"Thanks, Horaki-san." Shinji smiled. _'Cover obtained, observers occupied.'_

That was part two of their scheme. Hikari was Asuka's best friend, and Touji and Kensuke his. They were the three people most likely to see through his and Asuka's ongoing attempt to conceal their relationship. Shinji didn't like outright lying to them, so he'd suggested they come up with something to distract them instead: set them up.

Asuka told him about Hikari's raging crush on Touji. She'd been only slightly surprised when Shinji mentioned Touji's matching infatuation with the petite Class Rep that he thought no one knew about. Asuka had laughed at the foolishness of the two of them liking each other but failing to see it was mutual, just dancing around each other for months… until Shinji had given her a smirk and a stare.

She'd flicked him in the nose, but acknowledged the point. She'd countered with 'if they're doing the same stupid thing we were, maybe they'll be just as happy together'. He'd agreed to 'give them a push' and see is he and Asuka couldn't help get them together. Hopefully, the spectacle would keep Kensuke from noticing much about Asuka and him, as well as help out their friends.

Now, to rope in Touji and Kensuke… He wasn't even worried about that part. They usually ate with him anyway, or had before the Pilots had been ordered to begin this training effort. The presences of Rei and Asuka and their attempt at declaring lunch to as 'Pilots Only' had kept them off this week. They'd be happy to rejoin him once he asked. A little maneuvering to make sure Touji and Hikari sat next to each other, and Asuka's plan would be in full swing.  
>He smiled as he returned to his seat. Having a brilliant girlfriend was pretty neat. Having someone who loved him was fucking awesome.<p>

.

Asuka fidgeted in her seat by Rei's bed in the nurse's office. The school nurse had accepted Rei's explanation of a minor illness, and even helped administer the syringe of withdrawal medications Rei had pulled from her pocket before leaving Rei to rest. Asuka had been tasked with watching over her. The requirement that she stay was running into her desire to get back to the classroom and keep any more girls from going after her Shinji and driving her nuts. Still… Rei was doing this because Asuka had told her to. This was her responsibility, and she was the lead Pilot anyway. She had to look after her troops, right? Right.

And as much as she might want to be back to keep the other girls from bothering him, she knew he could rely on him to fend them off. She knew it was irrational to worry about another girl taking Shinji away from her, but she was just as aware that her fears on the topic were not going to be dismissed that easily. He was the first bright thing in her life in years. Even having a solid hunk of man like Kaji named as her guardian in Germany after Misato was transferred to Japan was starting to fade in comparison. Best of all, he trusted her and she trusted him. She'd never had that before. She could be sure without looking that he was right there with her.

Rei noticed her smile. "What are you smiling about, Pilot Soryu? You are… distracted."  
>Asuka shook herself out of her daydream. "Ah… The look on Takamori's face when you nailed her. That was priceless." <em>'Nice save, Soryu.'<em>

"She was hurting Ikari-kun, and angering you. You are my friends. I concluded I could take advantage of my illness to help." She kept looking at Asuka's face carefully. "You are agitated, and I thought you did not enjoy my company overmuch. Do you wish to return to Ikari-kun? You do not have to wait with me if you wish to go."

_'Oh Gott yes I want to be back with him. Another one of those harpies could be bringing_ _his spirits down right now, and I like seeing him smile, especially at me.'_ "I do want to go back to class, yes. That baka is helpless without me. And those girls need to stop interrupting our training. They're bothering him and reducing his morale!"

"You care about Ikari-kun?"

_'Red Alert! Red Alert! Top secret information threatened! Deploying bullshit deflectors!' _"Don't get the wrong idea!" _'The right idea, that is.'_ "It's not like I _like_ that baka or anything!"_ 'Well, true, I don't 'like' him. I love him. He makes me feel whole and loved for the first time since Mama. He loves me back!'_ "It's just that he gets into trouble without me, and I don't want that, it's troublesome to clean up. And he's my wingman! I have to keep an eye on him in battle. I still owe him a debt for saving my life in that volcano. I don't want him to die or anything before I can repay that. It's a debt of honor, and a Soryu never fails one of those! And I'm the lead Pilot, I have to take care of my squad! I care about both of you as teammates!" _'There, that sounds plausible.'_

"Including me?" Rei asked. Her gaze at Asuka had not shifted. It was faintly unnerving. "I thought you disliked me, because I was a 'doll'."

Asuka squirmed uncomfortably. "Well… yeah. I did. But it's a lot harder to blame you for acting that way now that I know you're drugged like this. That's why I reacted so strongly… my step-mother tried something like that with pills when I was younger. I know what it's like. It's not like I think you would kill yourself or something just because Commander Ikari ordered you to or such."

"If I was ordered to do so, I would."

Asuka's eyes bugged out at Rei. "_What?!_ Are you crazy? _Why_?"

Rei's voice was disturbingly calm. "He has raised me for years. He cares for me. If he gave that order, I would trust he had a necessary reason for it." Rei's voice dropped to almost nothing. "…He is all I have."

"Jesus fuck, Wondergirl! Don't ever do that! Kill yourself just because you were told to?! I mean… Gott! Never! We're soldiers, yeah, and we could die anytime, but never just on someone's say-so! Make it for a reason worth it! Look at baka-Shinji! He didn't jump into a volcano because someone ordered him to! He did it _against_ orders, because he thought I was worth risking his life for!" _'And don't you ever risk yourself like that again, you stupid, brave idiot of mine. I love you so Gottdamn much. My damn martyr baka-Shinji…'_ "He'd do the same for you, just like he said, and… and so would I! Commander Ikari's not 'all you have'! You're not alone! You, and me, and Shinji, we all look out for each other because there's no one else who can in a battle!" Asuka sat back, blinking. _'Did… did I just say all that out loud? And __**mean**__ it? Damn it, Shinji, look at what you're doing to me. You're making me into a Gott damn hero like you just to keep up. All for one and one for all.'_ "We're just like each other…" she muttered aloud.

Rei just stared at her. "I see," was all she said.

"Don't… don't be the Commander's doll, First. You're not. Don't let them make you into one." _'Please don't let them make you. If they do it to you, what keeps them from doing it to me or Shinji?'_ She shivered.

"I am not a doll. I am I," Rei replied.

"Good. Don't ever let Commander Ikari or anyone tell you are, First. Being a real person means the ability to choose. To be able to say 'No' when authority tells you to do something wrong." Asuka took a deep breath and put it all aside. She had to talk about it with Shinji tonight. "How are you feeling? I know Benzodiazepine withdrawal is supposed to be nasty…"

"I am moderating the worst symptoms successfully with the counter-agents and an increase in Diazepam versus the other components of the regimen. I have cut my current does by over half," Rei said as calmly as she'd mentioned her willingness to die on order.

"Isn't that kind of fast?"

"Yes, but our constant exposure to LCL stabilizes many of our systems against chemical disruption. Our Synch Test tomorrow should help. I will also be interested to see what effects my reduction of dose and exposure to you and Ikari-kun has had on my Synch Rate."

"And the sooner we bring your score up, the sooner we can end this enforced togetherness Doctor Akagi has made us do. You and the Third are fine in small doses, and you're right there with me in a fight, but I would like to be able to just go shopping with Hikari or stuff by myself, too." A smile spread on Asuka's face. "Or just spend a Sunday morning lying in bed, enjoying being alive, until I feel like getting up." _'Or Shinji feels like 'getting up' again, heh heh heh. Gott damn it, baka, I swear I wasn't this lewd before you got a hold of me…'_

Rei studied her face intently. "Enjoying being alive…" she said oddly.

Asuka looked down. "Don't tell me I have to teach you that too."

"Not at this time. I am feeling less nauseous." She sat up. "I believe we can return to class now."

"Good. I worry that baka-Shinji might have gotten an entire harem following him by now without me there to keep him in line. Let's go."

Rei nodded, and followed Asuka out of the rest area, studying her closely the whole way.

.

"I feel sorrier for the First Child than ever. It just… doesn't make any sense to me, Shinji. Why raise a Pilot inside NERV so isolated that she acts like that? Why _drug_ her if you've had that close control over her upbringing? Why drug her but not us? They can't be all that _happy_ if the results are Wondergirl. Both of us have much better Synch Rates than her. What's the point? Is there some reason they need a Pilot who's willing to die on orders? That's just creepy…" Asuka shook her head against the pillow's soft comfort.

Asuka waited for a response from her boyfriend, but nothing came. "Shinji?"

"He _raised_ her. He's 'all she has'? He… he…" Shinji's arms around her tightened until he shook. "How _could he?!_"

Asuka blinked in surprise. Shinji was… furious. She'd never seen him this angry. The usual calm expression he gave the world, or the warm and loving one he showed her when they were alone was gone. His face was twisted in a violent combination of anger, pain, and betrayal. She'd seen the Third Child without his clothes a lot in the last two weeks, but she'd never seen Shinji this naked.

"Once a year! Once a _year_ I'd see him at mother's grave. He'd barely say three sentences to me! I ran away once, and he just had the police take me back to my sensei. He didn't even call. I spent half my childhood wondering what I'd done that made him just dump me at the train station and walk away, just seeing his back retreating over and over again in every fucking nightmare! Why wasn't I good enough?" Shinji almost pleaded with her, tears in his eyes. "And then he turns around and _raises_ Ayanami?! Why?! Why did he abandon me and take her?!"

_'Yet more evidence your dad is not exactly Father of the Year material. Then again, neither is mine,'_ Asuka thought. She just held Shinji close and didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say that could explain Commander Ikari's behavior. But she could remind him of other things. "I have no idea, Shinji. But… I'm glad he didn't."

That snapped Shinji out of his rant. "What?" he asked, his brow knotting.

"Would you want to be like Wondergirl? If your father had raised you, you might have ended up like her: a drugged robot ready to die when he orders you to. I… If you had acted l like that, if you'd been raised that way, do you think Misato would have taken you in, that you'd be living here, that we'd… be together? If you acted like her, I'd never have kissed you, and we wouldn't be lying in bed like this right now." She pulled his head down to hers for a kiss. "I like you the way you are, my baka. You're just like me. You can understand me and my pains because you suffered them too. I'm glad you're here and the man you are, Shinji. I was as alone as you, before. And if you weren't here, I still would be."

Shinji relaxed into her embrace and let out a long sigh. "I don't blame Ayanami. It's not her fault. How would she know? But I… I don't know how I could ever forgive my father. He considered it an important enough demand on his time to raise her, however badly. Why send me away? I… I'd _still_ do almost anything to get him to look at me. I hate him so much, but… You know how much that once little scrap of praise he gave me after the Tenth Angel made me feel good. Gods, I'm such a weak idiot if I still want that."

"I agree you're a dummy if you Pilot to try to earn his praise," Asuka snorted. "You don't need that."

"Don't you? I thought that's why you were so driven to be the best Pilot, so people would praise you?" he asked right back. "'To display your talents to the world', you said."

Asuka said nothing for a moment. "I used to," she said softly. "I needed it. I was so afraid no one would want me unless I was the best. I had to _make_people look at me, or I might disappear. But now…" She freed one hand from embracing him to softly stroke his face. "I'm not as worried. I know, no matter what, that you're looking at me. That if I should fall, you'll keep my memory close. Now I Pilot, I push myself to be the best because I want to _be_the best, and drag you with me. The two of us, the best in the world, defending humanity. You're a good Pilot, Shinji, almost as good as me. You have a better reason to Pilot now than hoping for empty words from your father."

Shinji looked at her, waiting.

"Misato. Wondergirl. Me. Even the Stooges. The people who care about you praise you, baka. Not lip service from a jerk who's unworthy of a son like you. Forget him. Do it for us. For me especially. I won't have anyone else as wingman but my baka-Shinji. You promised me; You and me, together, against everything. Lean on us, Shinji." _'I need you. I can't even tell you how much. You have to stay with me. You make me strong.'_

"Until the end of the world…" Shinji finished their promise. Yeah… I'd rather do it for you, and the others." He buried his face in her hair. "I just wish… I knew why my father is like this. Why he can love Ayanami, but not me?"

Asuka shook her head. "He makes her live in an apartment I wouldn't keep a dog in, drugs her so much I'm surprised she can blink, and has her ready to die on command. I don't think that's love, Shinji. You don't treat someone you love like that. I think you care more about Wondergirl than your father does. Hell, I think _I_ care more about her than he does.

Shinji pulled back far enough to look her in the face again. "So what are we going to do?"

Asuka grinned. "You want to get back at your father a bit? Then let's deprogram his little robot, and free Wondergirl from wanting to die. Let's make her into a real girl instead of his doll."

Shinji gave her a half-smile. "You want to help Ayanami? I thought you didn't like her?"

"Oh, I'm keeping her far away from getting her hands on you, mister. Still no 'Israfel Special' allowed. I'm starting to feel better about her, though, and hate your father a lot more. So we want to take away his toy, and help her really live?" Asuka said. "Then let's save Rei Ayanami."


	9. Ch 8 - '-we came in' Pt 1

Chapter 5 Pt 1

"-we came in?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Just do it, Misato. You know _I'd _do it if he'd asked me." Asuka winked in a way far too mature for her age.

Misato gave her a sly smirk. "Oh? So hot to have me out of the house so you can have alone time with Shin-chan?"

Asuka turned a little red. "EW! Don't even joke about that! Like I'd spend the whole evening slobbering over a little boy like baka-Shinji? Please!" She waved dismissively at the kitchen where Shinji was cooking dinner. "I'd love to get my hands all over a real hunk like Kaji, but since he asked _you_ out for drinks and not me, all I can do is encourage you to go so I can imagine it's me instead."

Misato shot Shinji a sympathetic look as she watched his shoulders slump at Asuka's latest insult to his masculinity. _'I saw that, Shinji. I can tell it hurts when she says things like that. You really should tell her you care about her. I think she'd like it. You could stand to be nicer to him too, Asuka. He's pretty cute already, and he's probably going to be as tall and broad-shouldered as his father one day. Grab him while you can!'_

Misato shook her head. It was pretty obvious to her sharp little eye that her two charges were more attracted to each other than either would admit (she thought it was cute the way they thought they hid it), but they'd only been dancing around each other since Asuka moved in. Even more so in the last two months: Asuka seemed to go out of her way to poke at Shinji some nights. Shinji would even shoot back sometimes, which made Misato snicker and Asuka flustered, which made Misato laugh even more. He had a snarky sense of humor when he let it out.

It had been making her think of her and Kaji back in college. She'd been hot for the tall, handsome future UN Special Inspector from the moment they'd met, but they'd danced around each other for almost a month before the week where they'd just skipped classes and spent the entire time in her bedroom. Watching Shinji and Asuka, and thinking about the conversation they'd had after that wedding, Misato had found herself slowly edging towards Kaji once again. He still wanted her, even after she'd admitted she'd lied about why she broke up with him. And she still wanted him.

Tonight he'd invited her out for drinks at that bar again. She wanted to go. She could even admit to herself she wouldn't mind if there was more on Kaji's mind than just drinks. But still...

"You sure you two will be alright by yourselves? You're not going to kill Shin-chan for looking at you funny?" she hesitated.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Please, Misato. I can handle baka-Shinji. Somehow, I will control myself against his suave, Don Juan-like charms and not let him ravish me. Now get going. He and I will eat dinner, wash, and I'll send him right to bed."

Good enough for her. Misato grinned and picked up her red NERV jacket. Official wear or not, she looked damn good in it. "Fine. I'll probably be out late. Both of you make sure you're in bed on time." She headed for the door.

Asuka smiled and waved. "Oh, we will. Have a good time, Misato!" She held her pose until she heard the faint rumble of Misato's Alpine A310 leaving the parking lot.

"She's gone," she said quietly.

Shinji came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands dry. "Dinner's got half an hour to cook."

"Oh, how ever will we fill that time?" Asuka wondered in a not-at-all-innocent tone. She grabbed Shinji by the shoulders and dropped him into the chair at the table that Misato had just vacated. She hopped into his lap and twined her arms around his neck. "Mmm, hello there, Third Child..."

Shinji gave her an amused look. "So, you're going to control yourself against my suave, Don Juan-like charms, huh? Not going to let me ravish you?"

"I was telling the truth, just like we always do!" Asuka said piously. "You're much more like 'Shinji the Casanova' than Don Juan," she cheerfully continued. "He was much more cultured. And nope, you're not going to ravish me."

Shinji mock-pouted. "I'm not?"

"Nope. It's a Tuesday. My turn to ravish you. So c'mere."

There was no more talking for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Walking down the school hallway on his way back from the bathroom, Shinji didn't see the pale hand reach out from the door next to him. He didn't notice it at all until it clamped over his mouth and dragged him into the storage closet. By then it was too late to get away, and the firm grip kept anything more than a few muffled squawks from escaping.

The door snapped shut immediately after he was dragged in to the dark closet. Shinji tried to pull the hand away from his mouth and shout.

"SHHHH! It's me, baka!" Asuka hissed right in his ear.

Shinji relaxed, his panic ebbing. Asuka still didn't remove her hand from his mouth until the sound of footsteps faded away in the corridor.

"What'd you do that for? I was about to start punching," Shinji hissed back in the darkness. He turned around to face her, but could barely see her outline in the dark.

He could hear the frustration and embarrassment in Asuka's voice perfectly clearly, though. "We need to talk. Wondergirl has been all over us like Misato on a case of beer for the last four days, and Misato's been home and sober at night, so we haven't been able to do anything but cuddle. I know we're helping Ayanami act more normal, but this is a bit much. I'm going nuts."

Shinji automatically nodded, despite the dark. They'd been force to be extremely circumspect this week at home. It had turned out they could both be pretty vocal when 'entangling their AT-Fields', Asuka especially. So when Misato was around and awake, total restraint had been their only choice. "Ayanami has been rather persistent," he agreed.

"She's been a Gott-damned Terminator. So I grabbed you in here so we could talk. What are we going to do with her?"

"Well, we could-"

"You make that 'Israfel Special' joke one more time, Third Child, and I swear I will make you eat Misato's cooking… _cold_."

"Not that! I was going to say 'Hey, were alone right now…'" He let his voice trail off suggestively.

There was a moment's pause, followed by the sound of a shirt being taken off. "I love it when you use your brain. Hurry up and get undressed."

"The school cleaning supply closet has got to be the least romantic place we could possibly have sex."

"Good thing I love you so much it doesn't matter. Now hurry."

He unbuttoned his shirt. "Do you think we'll be able to keep it quiet enough in here? The walls are thicker than at home, but not soundproof."

"I'm very well motivated to be quiet right now, Shinji, because I _really_ want this to happen. Now get your 'Positron Rifle' into 'firing position', quickly."

"You say the most sensual things, liebchen," he said dryly.

"Shut up and kiss me."

Then silence (mostly) reigned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rei had always watched the world around her. When she had still been taking the full dose of her tranquilizers, it had been a very detached observation, but she had still enjoyed it, as much as she enjoyed anything back then.

But now that she was clearing her head of the drugs, the world had developed intriguing new depth, especially with Pilot Soryu's help in deciphering the complicated world of social signals and communication that she had previously been content to ignore. It was proving fascinating. Watching and deconstructing the behavior of her classmates was providing and increasing database for assisting her own behavior to be more normal, as well as giving her something to focus on to control the intensifying mood swings and hormonal rushes of feeling.

Some of these feelings were becoming very difficult to ignore. She'd found herself intently watching Aida-san, Suzuhara-san, and Ikari-kun... very much watching Ikari-kun. She had increasing desires to... do _something_ with Ikari-kun, but she also observed the way Pilot Soryu would tense up whenever other girls approached him, and the sharp rise in signals of anger, frustration, and possessiveness. Regretfully, but unwilling to disrupt her newer, friendlier relationship with the Second Child, she had refrained from attempting any experiments with Ikari-kun, as much as she wanted to. Careful thought had determined that approaching Suzuahara-san would likely cause similar reactions in Horaki-san, so she had likewise rejected approaching the tall, tanned, and athletic boy.

She had yet to begin any experiments with Aida-san, but she felt the time was about right. She was very interested in acquiring new data in this field. She-

Her head snapped around. Ikari-kun had returned from a curiously long visit to the bathroom. Pilot Soryu came in moments later.

Rei's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. Both Pilot Soryu and Ikari-kun had left earlier, separately. They had been displaying increasing signs of tension and frustration over the last few days, particularly Pilot Soryu. Those signs were now gone. Both of her friends now looked relaxed, happy, and satisfied. Rei watched them carefully as they walked closer to her and took their seats.

Her nose twitched. She'd noticed a sharp rise in her senses' acuity as the drug dosages faded. Colors, sounds, and right now scents were sharper and clearer than ever before. And right now, both Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu smelled strongly of chlorine, ammonia, dust... and each other.

Several things snapped into place and a cascade of thoughts rolled through Rei's mind. _'Observation: Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu have returned to the classroom smelling alike and of each other, their tension gone. Conclusion: they have just engaged in some activity together ina confined space that satisfied them both. Second conclusion: They utilized the school cleaning supply closet to engage in... sexual intercourse?'_ The subject was suddenly utterly fascinating. _'Observation: Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu have been engaged in a complicated act for the last several weeks involving concealing their actual feelings for each other from the public at large but not from each other. They have attempted physical intimacies when they believed I could not observe them. They have presented evidence of intense, reciprocal affection. Both have displayed signs of concealed anger and tension when members of the opposite sex have attempted to 'flirt' with the other. Conclusion: Pilot Soryu and Ikari-kun are engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship. Observation: they have taken great pains to maintain the appearance that they are mutually antagonistic and uninvolved, especially around Major Katsuragi. They have steadily acted to encourage Hikari-san and Suzuhara-san to bond and devote their attention to each other. Conclusion: They are actively trying to conceal their relationship from their friends and superiors at NERV._

Rei pondered that last point. _'Why? Their feelings for each other are obvious to me. From her commentary at most dinners, Major Katsuragi is at a minimum aware of their attraction to each other. Yet they have spent weeks concealing that they are in a relationship. Tentative conclusion: they fear exposure of their relationship will result in actions by Major Katsuragi or NERV command that will separate them. Sub-conclusion: they would not fear this or devote so much effort to protecting it if it was not very important to them. Secrecy is protection and safety for their relationship. They do not want others to remove that choice or happiness from them.'_

Rei turned in her seat enough to be able to see Ikari-kun's face. He looked so happy Rei had the sudden urge to ask for a hug. Hugs were another topic that was becoming very interesting to her. She looked at Pilot Soryu. She was likewise smiling vaguely, and occasionally shooting lidded glances at Ikari-kun.

Rei settled back into her seat. Her friends were... keeping secrets. Secrets that they feared would result in loss if exposed. She felt slightly hurt that they had not confided in her. Was she not their friend too? A fellow Pilot? Did they not have bonds of shared danger and experience? She understood from her reading that such bonds were supposed to be very strong. Did they fear she would tell? Were they unaware of how good she was at keeping secrets?

_'Of course they are unaware. If they were aware of how well I kept secrets, they would know them, thus disproving the assertation,'_ Rei thought with more amusement than she was even capable of a few weeks ago.

Her mild humor faded. _'My secrets. Commander Ikari has always stressed that the Scenario is a secret that __**cannot**__ be revealed to anyone. That it's exposure would allow SEELE's plan to control the evolution of humanity to triumph, and end that is unacceptable. I am entrusted with this secret because of my key role as part of his Scenario to prevent SEELE's victory. He has state there is no other choice for humanity but the amalgamation of all souls via Third Impact, and that his plan is a better end than eternal domination by SEELE. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki has corroborated this. Commander Ikari has stated that I will be permitted to die and return to oblivion upon the successful conclusion of his Scenario. This is something I have long wished for. The increased clarity and vibrancy of the world due to my reduced drug intake is partially offset by the increasing pain of living. I would eagerly welcome an end to my pain. Yet...'_

She looked back over her shoulder again at Ikari-kun's smile. _'SEELE's plan or the Commander's Scenario... both result in the end of Ikari-kun and Pilot Soryu's lives as individuals and their happiness together. I do not wish to harm either of them that way. Commander Ikari has said Third Impact is inevitable, unavoidable, and that his Scenario is the best path, the only path. Could he be... wrong?'_

Rei placed the troubling, almost heretical thought aside for now. In the immediate term, she would emulate their tactics: she would conceal the extent of her own changes from NERV command and those around her, even her friends, until she had more time to fully evaluate how the changes affected her. Then she would consider how much, if any, of her own secrets to reveal to the Second and Third Children. In the meantime, she'd begin her own program of experiments to increase her knowledge of life.

"Hey, First. You ready for the Synch Test tomorrow?" Asuka whispered behind her.

Rei smiled faintly. Her Synch Rate had begun a definite if slow rise since she began reducing her drug dosage and associating with the other Pilots. Doctor Akagi had informed her they would continue the association for as long as her scores continued their rise. She was glad. She liked having friends. She didn't feel as alone.

"Yes, Pilot Soryu. Perhaps this week I will surpass you."

Asuka snorted. "Fat chance, Wondergirl. You'd have better luck defeating an Angel by making out with it."

"We shall see."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wondergirl? You here?"

"I am, Pilot Soryu," Rei answered from the living room.

Asuka shook her head as she and Shinji walked in. The place was still nearly bare of furnishings. If not for Rei's reply, Asuka could have thought the apartment totally empty.

Misato had visited Rei's old apartment after Asuka's description, and had been (to put it mildly) appalled. She'd complained to Doctor Akagi and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki about Rei's living conditions, and after a week had managed to get Rei moved out. Which was an entirely good thing as far as Asuka was concerned.

Unfortunately for her and Shinji's privacy, Misato had moved Rei into the empty apartment right next door to them. Which meant Rei could stick around them until almost bedtime, and usually ate dinner with them now too. Asuka and Shinji had been cut back to little more than their own room for places they could be open to each other.

On the plus side, it meant that on weekends like this, it was simply a matter of walking right over to Rei's new apartment to fulfill Doctor Akagi's continuing mandate that they spend lots of time together. And helping Rei continue to wean herself off the sedatives she'd been taking was an intense project. It had been starting to show positive effects. Rei was more lively at school, even more so when just with her fellow Pilots. She was talking more in school and acting overall much less like a robot. Asuka was much less put off by her lately, or would have been if she wasn't a walking impediment to weekend Shinji-snuggling time.

They _had_ managed to convince Rei it was alright for them to go to the bathroom separately, at least. That had been a bit awkward at the beginning. They'd even gotten the occasional twenty or thirty minutes out of Rei's sight, occasions which Asuka took full advantage of, usually by dragging Shinji into the nearest shadowy corner and kissing him senseless. Though over the last few days Rei herself had begin occasionally disappearing, which Asuka intended to ask her about today.

"So I heard something weird at school yesterday, First Child. They found Geek-Stooge passed out in-" Asuka slammed to a halt, spun around, and slapped her hands over Shinji's eyes.

"Hey! What?" he yelped, startled.

"Don't move, baka. Wondergirl, _put some clothes on!_"

Rei blinked at her, still holding the lacy, pale blue bra up in front of herself. She looked down. The matching panties set off her hair nicely. "Oh, right. Clothes."

"Why are you trying on underwear in the middle of the living room?! Are you _trying _to flash yourself to baka-Shinji?!" _'You had better not be, First Child. Mine!'_

"Why would I do that, Pilot Soryu? Ikari-kun has already seen me without clothing. I am trying the new set on in here because the light is better."

Asuka growled at the reminder. "That does not mean you need to give this pervy baka any more free shows!"

There was a rustle of cloth behind them, and Rei announced, "I am wearing clothes now, Pilot Soryu."

Asuka released her hands from Shinji's eyes and turned back around. She still ground her teeth. Rei looked _great_ in a light sundress that clung to her figure. And if Asuka thought she looked good, she must look fantastic to Shinji. "Alright, Wondergirl. The hall monitors found Geek-Stooge passed out in the hall yesterday right after lunch started, and supposedly you had been seen leaving the area. What did you do to him?"

"I was attempting to follow your instructions on how to interact with boys, and calibrate my social skills. The attempt provided valuable data, but inconclusive results."

"Wondergirl. What. Did. You. Do?"

"What you told me to."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Classmate Aida-san."_

_Kensuke looked up in surprise. Rei Ayanami had stopped him, which was new. She'd been looking around class more than she used to, and he'd even seen her staring at him occasionally, but she'd never spoken to him before. Up close, her ethereal beauty was even more stunning. She had such a cool, soothing presence. Of course, to a fourteen year old boy like himself, that presence did little to calm him enough to form actual sentences at this kind of closeness. "Er... Y-yes, Ayanami-san?" He tried not to sweat. _

_"I would like to ask you a favor."_

_"Um... S-sure? Anything you need."_

_"Are these attractive panties?" Rei lifted her skirt. "I have been advised not to wear 'boring'..."_

_THUD_

_"Classmate Aida-san?" Rei lowered her hands and gave a very tiny frown at the collapsed teen. "It is difficult to evaluate my social interaction attempts when you fall unconscious, Aida-san. Still, this does provide some data. Thank you for your assistance."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shinji and Asuka stared at Rei. They turned and looked at each other for a second, then went back to staring right back at Rei. "You _what?!_" they finally blurted in stereo.

"You told me 'if and when you ever show them off to someone who is not the Third Child, wear something better than those panties, because that is the most boring underwear you have ever seen'. Now that I had different underwear, I determined to test their attractiveness. I therefore selected Aida-san as a test assistant, as you have denied me the use of Ikari-kun for such, and Suzuhara-san spends all his time with Horaki-san."

Asuak tried to make sense of this. "Why the Stooges?'

"They are Ikari-kun's friends. This indicates they are likely good people."

"You're basing your entire evaluation of if they are 'good people' on whether they like Shinji or not?"

"It is the largest single factor, yes."

_'Well, I can't really say that's a bad thing. I like spending time with my baka too...' _"That's... well, I guess you could pick worse than the Stooges. But it's a good thing you didn't pull that with Jock-Stooge. Hikari would have killed you. And maybe him, too," Asuka pointed out.

"That is why I selected Aida-san, yes."

Shinji smiled. His and Asuka's plan to maneuver their friends together had gone well. A few weeks of inviting the two along to their daily lunches and then slipping away to leave them alone had finally led to Touji (with just a _bit _of hinting and pushing by Shinji) actually asking Hikari out last Friday. The pair had been inseparable ever since, though both of them still blushed any time someone mentioned it. Kensuke had already started complaining to Shinji about their friend acting like a 'lovey-dovey idiot'. Best of all, their friends had been thoroughly distracted from noticing the Pilots' secrets, just as they'd planned.

Asuka was still looking at Rei in confusion. "But _why_ did you do it? Why did you feel the need to check how attractive your underwear was to a boy?"

Rei just stared right back at her.

A look of shock slowly dawned on Asuka's face. "Oh Gott no."

Shinji looked back and forth between them. "What? What is it?"

"Wondergirl has discovered _boys_."


	10. Ch 9 - '-we came in' Pt 2

Chapter 5 Pt 2

"-we came in?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kensuke halted sharply. Rei Ayanami was standing calmly in the corner at the end of the hallway, like she had been... lying in wait. For him. Again. Well, maybe 'again': he still wasn't entirely certain that last incident had actually happened. That couldn't have been real, right?

Rei's red eyes locked with his. "Classmate Aida-san," she greeted him. "I would like to request your assistance again."

_'Oh, so that __**did**__ happen?'_ "Um... um... Ok?" He braced himself, but Rei did not do anything as nosebleed-inducing as last time. She just looked at him carefully.

"Have you ever been hugged?" she asked.

He blinked. What kind of question was that? "Um... yes?"

"Good. I have not. I wish to establish a baseline for further tests."

_'What? That couldn't be what it sounded like. She's never been hugged?'_ "...So you want...?"

"I would like to hug you to establish a baseline."

"...okay?"

Rei lightly stepped over to him and put her arms around him. He went stiff as a board in shock. Sure, he'd been hugged before, but that was family members and stuff. This... he'd never had a girl his own age do this, especially not one that looked like Rei Ayanami. _'Double especially after what she did on Friday oh gods this is a bad time to think of that she's so warm and pressed right against me...'_

Fortunately for Kensuke's peace of mind, Rei released him and stepped back before he could pass out again, or anything else embarrassing happen. "Thank you, Aida-san. That was valuable data for my baseline, and... not unpleasant."

He was very, very confused. "You're welcome?"

Rei turned and walked off without another word. Kensuke stood there staring after her long after she passed through the doors to the schoolyard.

"What the heck just happened?" he asked the empty hallway.

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

Asuka liked a lot of things about being in love, but the quiet times after all the more vigorous moments in their room were quickly becoming her favorites. Just lying there with Shinji, holding each other close, feeling his chest rise and fall with his breath, listening to his heartbeat under her ear... She could let down all her walls, not have to pretend anything, not have to _fear_ anything... just be Asuka, and know she was in the arms of someone who loved her.

She hadn't had that in ten years.

"Shinji?"

"Mmm?"

"I am so glad you decided to hold me, that first time. Look what it led to."

Shinji was oddly quiet for a minute. "You want to know something funny, Asuka? I didn't."

She craned her head so she could see his face without having to lift her head from his chest. "Say what?" she asked, confused.

"I... I didn't decide anything. I was about to fall down. You had my nose pinched shut, and I was starting to get wobbly from lack of air, and I grabbed onto you to stay up."

"You were just falling down?!" Asuka couldn't decide if she was angry, surprised, or just confused. "That's it?"

"I wanted to keep going! The girl of my dreams was _kissing me_, and I froze! I just wanted to keep kissing you, so I grabbed on to you to stay up, so we could keep going. I was afraid to touch you!"

"Afraid to... so if you hadn't nearly passed out, you'd have just stood there, not moving, because you were afraid to _touch me_?"

"Probably. You were literally the girl of my dreams, Asuka. One touch of your lips and I locked up. I'd have stood there and kissed you for as long as I could."

"But not done anything. Wow. That would have been _bad_, Shinji. When I felt you put your hands on me, I thought I had finally gotten through to you that I _wanted_ you to. It made me so happy that you'd finally _reacted_ to my hints. If you'd have just stood there and not done anything, I'd have thought you were rejecting me. Gott, I'd have probably run off in tears! I couldn't have stood it, thinking you rejected me when I'd just kissed you!"

"I... I'm sorry. You know I'm your baka. I'm just... you're too much, Asuka. I can barely make my brain work when I'm around you. That first kiss just blew all my fuses." He shook his head. "If you'd run off, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea what to do. I'd have just stood there, confused as anything, until Kaji brought Misato in."

"Gott, I'd have been acting all flirty at Kaji, trying to cover up how hurt I would have been... I really risked my heart on that kiss, Shinji. I'd have been an utter bitch to you for _days_ afterward if we'd messed that one up, maybe weeks. I am so damn glad you kissed me back."

"I'm glad too. I've never been this happy, Asuka. I'd just be sitting in my room for hours, listening to music on my SDAT player for hours because I had nothing else to do but feel empty. Now..." He nuzzled her hair. "I don't think I've touched it since that night. You sure had me convinced you didn't need anything from me. Your mask was just too good. I didn't have a clue how you felt."

Asuka snorted. "That's my baka-Shinji. Eh, not like I could have just spit it out that I was attracted to you, not over my pride. Mmm... speaking of masks, I think we've haven't been hostile enough in class lately. I've been hearing some girls' locker room rumors about us. I think we need to have a big public argument tomorrow."

Shinji smiled into her hair. Of all the things that had changed since he and Asuka opened up to each other, having to _schedule_ their public arguments had to be the funniest. "Hmm... I could 'forget' our lunches because I was too busy or something. That'd give you a big excuse to tear into me."

"Ugh, that means school food. That's definitely a good reason to yell at you. I'm not going to have to act that part. I like your cooking. Fine, that'll work. We'll have to make sure we're in a hurry leaving this morning, or Ayanami will notice later that our excuse doesn't hold water."

Shinji shrugged. "Like I said last night, I think she's on to us, but just hasn't said anything."

To his surprise, Asuka shivered. "What's wrong?"

Asuka was silent for a minute. "If she knows, maybe she won't say anything, sure, but if she can figure it out so can others. And if others figure it out, it can get back to Misato, and she can... make us stop this." She squeezed her arms around him. "I... don't want to stop, Shinji. I... need this. I need _you_. I can't be alone again."

Shinji considered the idea himself. Being alone again, spending the nights in hollow solitude in his room, the same tracks on his SDAT tape cycling over and over... Cold, lonely, no comforting warmth and steady breathing beside him in the endless, pressing dark... He shivered as well. He wouldn't be able to stand it either. He'd rather give up breathing than lose Asuka next to him at night. He tried to inject as much confidence into his voice as he could. It wasn't a lot. "Ayanami hasn't said a word about what we've been doing with the drugs she had to take and stuff. I told you how we got all those counter-drugs from Doctor Akagi's supplies. She's been keeping that secret pretty tight. I think she's good at keeping secrets." _'I really, really hope she is,'_ he thought.

Even beneath his fears, Shinji still felt a little glow of happiness. The Asuka of two months ago could never have flatly said to him 'I need you' to him, or anyone. The Shinji of two months ago would never have believed it. Now it felt as natural and necessary as breathing. _'She needs me. She loves me.'_

"I just don't want anything to keep us apart. I know you need this just as much as I do." Asuka gave a grim chuckle. "Gott, think about how our Synch Rates would crash if they did try to separate us. Maybe we could use that to blackmail Misato into letting us stay together like this if and when she finds out?"

Shinji laughed softly. "Yeah, maybe." His smile faded. "That day is coming, Asuka. We can't keep this hidden forever. The way being together is changing us alone will give it away eventually. Look at how hard it's getting to keep up the 'we're mad at each other' act."  
>"I know," she replied. "But I'm happy now, and I don't want anything to change that. I just want to stay like this forever."<p>

A bolt of lightning shot through Shinji. _'Forever. Forever?'_ He swallowed. There was a question that had been looming in his mind for weeks now, that he'd likewise avoided really facing because he was content to just enjoy the first honest period of happiness he'd had since before he could remember. But like the prospect of them being eventually discovered, it was an inevitable question that had to be asked. "Asuka… where are we going?"

"What?"

"…us. Where are we going? You just said 'forever'. I… I want to stay like this too. I can barely imagine living without you anymore. I think… you feel the same. But I can't even change the will they made us fill out to name you as my beneficiary without everyone asking 'why?'. What are we going to do?"

Asuka's grip on him got tighter. "Don't… You're not allowed to die, baka. Not ever." She lapsed into silence for a minute. "I don't know where we're going. We're teenagers. We're soldiers. It could all end next week. As long as we're together, I don't care. And you already promised me that first morning: 'Together, forever and always'. Until the end of the world, you and me. We stay together until we don't make each other happy any more. And if that means until we're both dead, then that's that." She hugged him again. "We'll get found out one day, maybe soon. When that happens, when we have to go public, no matter what I'm claiming you in front of the whole school. Even if they make us go back to sleeping apart, I'm going to make sure the whole world knows you're mine and I love you."

"Asuka… did… did you just…" Shinji tried to crane his head to see her face. "Are you _crying_?"

"Just… shut up and hold me, baka."

"…I love you too."

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

"Yes!" Touji exclaimed happily. "Lunch lunch lunch! It's the best part of any school day! Especially when it's your cooking, Horaki-san!"

The Class Rep blushed. "Suzuhara-san, you don't have to praise me like that."

"But I like to! I want everyone to know my girlfriend is an awesome cook!" Touji still began to match her blush despite his brave words. He opened the neatly wrapped bento and sniffed deeply. "Mmm! So much better than school food!"

Kensuke gagged and rolled his eyes in the next desk over. Watching his buddy act like a lovestruck fool with his new girlfriend was halfway between comedy and disaster. Touji's swing from deriding the Class Rep as a 'pig-tailed, pig-headed dictator' to randomly mumbling about how cute she was had been a mind-warping change over the last several weeks.

"What do you _mean_, you didn't bring our lunches?!"

Kensuke smirked as he looked towards the front of the classroom. Then again, some things hadn't changed at all…

Shinji cowered beneath Asuka's rage, raising his hands in a futile placating gesture. "L-last night I was very busy with housework and schoolwork! I didn't have time to cook! And we left in a hurry this morning!"

"And because of _that_, you're telling me I have to go without lunch?!" Asuka yelled at him. "Or eat cafeteria slops?! UGH!"

Touji looked up from a mouthful of Hikari's vegetables and steamed rice. He grinned at the familiar eruption from the redhead. "Oi, oi, what's this? A quarrel between husband and wife?"

Much of the rest of the class exploded in laughter, save for Tanaka and a few of the girls who still harbored designs on the Third Child. Those gave Asuka death glares instead. Her unspoken claim of Shinji as her sole private punching bag and servant was well established.

Shinji and Asuka turned impressive shades of red at the quip and looked at the floor. Asuka particularly seemed in shock, her expression going strangely distant for a second before she and Shinji whirled on Touji and shouted in perfect unison, "It's not like that!" Their synchronicity only caused the laughter to redouble.

Ayanami caught the momentary glance the two Pilots shot between them as Asuka shuffled to her seat and covered her face until the blush faded, but said nothing.

Asuka covered her face with her hands to hide more than the blush and tried to slow her pounding heartbeat. That… that hadn't gone quite as planned. _'No. No. No. Do not think that, Soryu. You can't It's impossible. It's stupid. It's only been two months. Nine weeks. Fifty-three days. It's too soon to even imagine that.'_ Her heart refused to listen, pounding right along. _'But it sounded so good~'_ whispered the part of her that had spent too many lonely nights in tears, the part that had pushed so hard to try that first kiss with Shinji. The part that didn't want to ever be alone again.

The part that had heard 'husband and wife' and started _singing_.

_'No. No. No. It's crazy, Soryu. You're teenagers! You even mention it, and he'll think you're insane! And what if he says 'no'?! You could make him run away, leave! What do you do then?'_ her fears screamed.

_'He promised, 'forever and always'. He's just like you. He needs you like you need him. He loves you even without the mask. He's risked his life for you more than once. He'd tear down Heaven for you. He asked where you two were going last night, and when you said 'until we die' he didn't say no…'_ her hopes countered.

"He's just like me," she whispered to herself. _'He's got to be having the same kinds of thoughts, right? So… I can… ask him. What he thought when Jock-Stooge said that, anyhow. I can do that, right? It's just mentioning a joke and… who are you kidding, Soryu? You can't lie to him like that, not anymore. He knows you better than anyone else in the world, and after that conversation last night it won't exactly be subtle. So we either bury the idea and never mention it for years, or… we really ask him what he thought about it.'_ Asuka swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. _'Oh Gott, don't let me screw this up!'_

_''Til death do us part. Until the end of the world. Forever and always. He's __**already**__ promised. He's mine! He loves me!'_ sang a deeper part of her.

Crimson eyes carefully watched her, and thought.

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

"Pilot Soryu."

"Wondergirl," Asuka grunted in reply. She'd tried not to let the First Child's early arrival this morning ruin her mood. They'd been ready to leave in a hurry whenever Rei knocked to maintain the to-be-used-later excuse that Shinji had forgotten their lunches, but the bluenette had arrived even earlier than they'd expected, so Asuka had been denied her customary last few moments to sneak in a couple more kisses with Shinji before they left for the day.

And now that they were finally on their way home, Rei had stopped them on a random side street on the way and turned to face them with a serious expression on her face. Or as close to a 'serious expression' as Wondergirl got. Two months and a bit of paying closer attention to the First Child and teaching her how social behavior had let Asuka get better at reading the usually stoic Pilot, but it was still a tricky feat.

"I have a request of you and Ikari-kun."

Asuka shared a puzzled glance with Shinji. "Go on."

"I have established a baseline for social physical contact experiments. Now that I have done so, I would like to conduct further experiments with subjects beyond the baseline, to compare the difference between that and subjects I have special feelings towards."

_'Special feelings?'_ Asuka exchanged an even more puzzled look with Shinji. "Er... what?"

"I wish to hug Ikari-kun, to see how that feels different from a hug from classmate Aida-san, my baseline. I believe my feelings for Ikari-kun will produce highly different sensations and emotions."

Asuka felt her hackles start to rise and an almost instinctive growl begin in the base of her throat. "Now wait just a minute here, First Child! You can't just-" she began heatedly.

"And you as well, Pilot Soryu."

Asuka's growl ground to a confused stop. "What?"

"I wish to hug you as well."

"Y... you want to... what? Me?" Asuka tried to wrap her head around the request.

"My feelings for you are similar, but different from those I have for Ikari-kun. You have been a steady support as I weaned myself of the drugs I had been ordered to take and a tireless guide in socialization. I believe hugging you would also prove... beneficial to my exploration," Rei said, a trifle awkwardly.

"I... suppose?" Asuka allowed. "I... damn it, Wondergirl, this is confusing. Just... do it. Go ahead." She waved at Shinji.

Shinji looked from Asuka to Rei in a tiny panic. The last time he'd touched Rei, it hadn't been very graceful or proper. For her part, Rei had the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks. She stepped close to Shinji and gently put her arms around him. She laid her head on Shinji's shoulder and closed her eyes, the faintest smile on her lips.

It was so damned cute Asuka found her jealousy somewhat tempered. "Well, don't just stand there like a stunned duck, baka!" she growled at Shinji. "Put your arms around her too! When someone holds you, you are supposed to hold them right back! You should know that by now!"

Shinji reddened further and he hesitantly raised his arms from his sides to embrace Rei. The First Child made a small 'mmm' when he did. Asuka grit her teeth and let it go on for as long as she could stand.

Just before she was about to demand Wondergirl let him go, Rei raised her head ans stepped back out of Shinji's arms anyway. "Thank you, Ikari-kun. It appears my theory was correct. That was... very pleasant." She turned towards Asuka.

_'Ok, this is just strange. Which is par for the course with Wondergirl, I guess,'_ Asuka thought. She somewhat awkwardly raised her arms to accept Rei's embrace as she stepped in to her space.

It was strangely different experience from holding Shinij. Rei's softer curves and oddly familiar scent were very unlike Shinji's familiar warmth. _'She smells totally like... LCL?'_ Asuka suddenly recognized with some confusion. Sure, they all smelled like that a lit, but it had been days since their last Synch Test, and Asuka was diligent about scrubbing herself thoroughly in the showers afterward to get as much od it gone as she could. She was even more dedicated about it at home. Her vast array of imported German bath and beauty products weren't there _solely_ due to her vanity. Getting the smell of LCL out was a constant struggle.

But Wondergirl smelled only of soap, young woman, and LCL. It was just... odd.

_'Oh, quit trying to distract yourself, Soryu. Wondergirl's not that bad a hugger. This feels... kind of nice.'_ As much as she loved Shinji, he'd been the _only_ person to hold her like that in years. So having another person hug her as well was still a nice, novel experience.

Rei stepped back away from her after a minute. "I was indeed correct. That was an entirely different and more complex feeling than my baseline, from both of you. Thank you both."

Asuka looked at Shinji again. He gave a small shrug. _'Yeah, I don't know quite what to make of that either.'_

"Now I would like to see you two. I think the observation of you both would be very illuminating for me."

Asuka snapped her face towards Rei. "Wait, _what?_ You want to watch _us_ hug?"

"Yes."

"Are you crazy, Wondergirl? I wouldn't touch this baka with a ten foot pole!"

"My feelings for the both of you ensured an extremely different set of reactions compared to my baseline. I believe the feelings you two have for each other will produce an even more marked effect. I wish to observes this closely. You both seem to derive great happiness from it. I wish to experience that as well, even if I can only do it by observation at this time."

Asuka gave Shinji a dismissive look before returning her gaze to Rei. "You think because I hate this baka, you want to watch to what strong feelings you can see when I _hug_ him?" she said sarcastically.

"No, because you love him."

Asuka had to call on years of learning to control her face in trying to conceal the bolt of shock and fear that raced through her. She managed a haughty laugh. "What are you _talking_ about, First? Me? In love with this idiot? Are you drunk?"

"I am not drunk. You and Ikari-kun have been engaged in a clandestine relationship for several weeks now. You have intense romantic feelings for each other. I am..." Rei paused, visibly struggling to find the right word. "Envious," she said eventually.

"_Envious?!_ Are you fucking with me, Wondergirl?"

"I am not 'fucking with you', Pilot Soryu. That is Ikari-kun's job."

The distant cry of an ice cream salesman was the only sound in their small side street for a long minute.

Shinji unfroze first. "Did... did you just make a _joke_, Ayanami?"

Rei turned her red eyes to him. "Oops?" she said. "Did I do it incorrectly?"

"Nope," Asuka said through a dry mouth, once she had managed to close her dropped jaw. "That... that was pretty spot on." She looked hurriedly around. She knew Section 2 was supposed to have them under constant distant guard, but she rarely if ever spotted them in action. From what Shinji had mentioned about his first attempt at running away from NERV months ago, Section 2 had taken days to track him down, and he hadn't even left the city very far. Asuka had little fear they were actually watching them. "You... you can't tell anyone about us, First. They... they'd separate us. We dont' want that. At all."

Rei's expression was unreadable. "We all have our secrets, Pilot Soryu. You are my friend. I will keep yours."

The sudden relief almost made Asuka's knees buckle. She put one hand on her chest to try calming her heartbeat from the rabbit-fast beat it had kicked up to. "Thank you." She looked at Rei more closely. The merest hint of a smile was on her face. "My friend, huh? Then enough of this 'Pilot Soryu' formality. Just call me 'Asuka', Wondergirl."

A small but true smile spread on Rei's face. "Then please call me 'Rei', Asuka." She gave a small bow at Shinji. "And you, Ikari-kun."

Shinji blushed again. "Aya-... Rei. Please call me 'Shinji'."

Asuka shook her head. "So what gave us away? I thought we were pretty convincing today."

"You were, but your anger when other girls would attempt to flirt with Ik-... with Shinji was noticeable. Also, you both came back from the 'bathroom' smiling and smelling like the cleaning closet two weeks ago." She looked between them again. "So may I see you hug now? I wish to observe this 'love'. Wink wink nudge nudge."

Shinji turned bright red again.

Asuka stared at her, then began laughing. "Oh Gott, Wondergirl... you and humor is going to be a whole new teaching campaign for me, isn't it?"

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk."


End file.
